Top Africa cardinal: next pope could well be black

[Murphy]

VATICAN CITY – A prominent African cardinal said Monday there was no reason why the next pope couldn't be black, particularly following the election of President Barack Obama.

Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana is playing an important role in guiding a three-week meeting at the Vatican on the challenges of the Catholic Church in Africa.

At a news conference Monday, Turkson was asked whether he thought the time was right for a black pope, especially in light of Obama's election.

"Why not?" Turkson replied. He argued that every man who agrees to be ordained a priest has to be willing to be a pope, and is given training along the way as bishop and cardinal. "All of that is part of the package."

SOURCE (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_re/eu_vatican_black_pope)

So, what is your take on this? Would you accept an African Pope? Would you accept any non-European as Pope?

Personally, right now in this day and age I would not anticipate a non-European with excitement. I stand by this due to the fact that I do not believe that a non-European Pope could fully appreciate the state of the Faith in Europe today and Europe's great need for the Catholic Faith. As Belloc said, Europe is the Faith and the Faith is Europe. Europe will either come back to the Faith or she will perish.

What truly troubles me however, is those Catholics who support a non-European Pope because we apparently need a black or brown Pope! Disgusting!

Then there are the comments suggesting that an African Pope would relax the Church's posistion on contraception because the Church's posistion is of course wrong, and the poor Africans need contraception!

You can see my post here (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=107703&postcount=60) to see how wrong this rubbish is.

But it does raise an interesting point that the liberal media doesn't seem to understand quite yet. They have dreams of an Obama-type revolution in the Church, to promote homosexuality and contraception etc., and yet the majority of the African clergy are very conservative. So much so in fact, that I would perfer an African Pope over even most of the European clergy it if wasn't for the baisic fact that an African Pope could not be sensitive to Europe's needs right now!

Anyway, that's my opinion. What's yours?

Regards,
Eóin.

P.S. Non-Catholics are welcome to post in this thread as well, but remember this is primarily a Catholic issue. But your opinions on the socio-political impact the election of a non-European Pope could have, are welcome.

[Poltergeist]

So, what is your take on this? Would you accept an African Pope? Would you accept any non-European as Pope?

I couldn't care less about skin colour of the future Pope. The only thing that matters are the personal qualities of the candidate, his dedication to the faith and the solidity of theological knowledge.


Personally, right now in this day and age I would not anticipate a non-European with excitement. I stand by this due to the fact that I do not believe that a non-European Pope could fully appreciate the state of the Faith in Europe today and Europe's great need for the Catholic Faith. As Belloc said, Europe is the Faith and the Faith is Europe. Europe will either come back to the Faith or she will perish.

One should first do a research to determine the exact percentage of European Catholics (and Europeans in general) who are racial fetishists (being thus predisposed to attach vast deal of attention onto the pope's skin colour).


What truly troubles me however, is those Catholics who support a non-European Pope because we apparently need a black or brown Pope! Disgusting!

It's disgusting, in as much as the skin colour of a pope should be regarded as irrelevant. It is as disgusting as the insistance that pope must of necessity be "white". Two forms of raci(ali)sm, the "positive" and the "negative" one.


Then there are the comments suggesting that an African Pope would relax the Church's posistion on contraception because the Church's posistion is of course wrong, and the poor Africans need contraception!

These comments are probably very ignorant since, to the best of my knowledge, the Catholic Church in Africa displays a vast array of opinions on the matter, from "conservative" to "liberal".


But it does raise an interesting point that the liberal media doesn't seem to understand quite yet. They have dreams of an Obama-type revolution in the Church, to promote homosexuality and contraception etc., and yet the majority of the African clergy are very conservative.

Right.


So much so in fact, that I would perfer an African Pope over even most of the European clergy it if wasn't for the baisic fact that an African Pope could not be sensitive to Europe's needs right now!

Debatable.

I think that it isn't even the normal state of affairs that the Catholic Church and faith be centered around the personality of a pope who in some given moment sits on St. Peter's chair, or around the Vatican as such. It is more of a modern development.

[Lysander]

I wouldn't appreciate it but I'd still have to accept a black pope as the patriarch if the council elected him.

[Sally]

Frankly, I think I'd be relieved with any Pope who espoused a more traditional, pre-Vatican II form of Catholicism. I'm no sedevacanist, but I lean more toward the traditional end of the spectrum. No liturgical dancing for me! :D

http://i35.tinypic.com/zx9y5x.jpg

[Cato]

This is inevitable result end result of Catholic universalism, not that a black pope is terrible and bothering thing to my mind- as long as he's not given the same ridiculous pageantry that Ombongo has been given. Overall, what Catholics do within their own religious foundations isn't really a major concern of mine.

[Hrolf Kraki]

SOURCE (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_re/eu_vatican_black_pope)

So, what is your take on this? Would you accept an African Pope? Would you accept any non-European as Pope?


Christianity originated outside of Europe and Jesus is supposedly the saviour of ALL people so why can´t a non-European be pope???

It would be a contradiction to disallow a man to become Pope based on his race or nation of origin.

[Cato]

Christianity originated outside of Europe and Jesus is supposedly the saviour of ALL people so why can´t a non-European be pope???

It would be a contradiction to disallow a man to become Pope based on his race or nation of origin.

Many people must still think of Christianity as a specifically European religion which, as you point out, is not true.

[Poltergeist]

Many people must still think of Christianity as a specifically European religion which, as you point out, is not true.

not just untrue, but complete bullcrap.

[Murphy]

I have no objection to a black Pope based on race. I have an objection to a non-European Pope at this time because I do not believe a non-European Pope can be sensitive enough to the problems facing the Faith in Europe at this time.

However, I trust in God. I don't believe he will allow Europe to perish, and if a non-European Pope goes toward helping save the Faith in Europe I will welcome him with open arms.

Regards,
Eóin.

[Cato]

not just untrue, but complete bullcrap.

It packages itself as a universal religion with a universal message, which I find a contradiction in terms since religions are, usually, the product of a single folk's innate genius. It takes a truly sublime doctrine to be considered universal and, quite honestly, I don't find a lot about Christian doctrines to be either unique (not that I see very many Christians claiming this) or especially sublime. The partnership between man and the divine is, for example, a part of multiple religious belief systems.

[Lutiferre]

It packages itself as a universal religion with a universal message, which I find a contradiction in terms since religions are, usually, the product of a single folk's innate genius.
It is universal, but not just because it's a universal religion or message, but because it is a religion from the Divinity who transcends everyone of us.

And it has proven it's universal validity, in the fact that there are Christians of every major part of the world, of every race and nationality, who see it's truth.

It's universal validity cannot be argued over; it has been empirically proven.


It takes a truly sublime doctrine to be considered universal and, quite honestly, I don't find a lot about Christian doctrines to be either unique (not that I see very many Christians claiming this) or especially sublime.
Whether you know it or not, they are unique and sublime, and not just in isolation. You cannot give an example of a religion whose doctrines are as coherent and harmonious in making up one organic whole as Christianity.

And so, I am not speaking of taking one random fact out of it, but of the whole.

But it's the wrong focus. What is truly unique about Christianity is not a doctrine or some fact in itself.

It is based on a person. It's focus is personal, and it's uniqueness hence also personal, and once again, in a holistic fashion; not in some kind of composite fashion of one thing or event.


The partnership between man and the divine is, for example, a part of multiple religious belief systems.
That is almost what defines religion. So if you think that is enough to show that Christianity is not unique, then your criteria and understanding of the significance of differences are too loose or untrained. For there is no universal agreement what the divine is (indeed it could be anything or nothing), or how to commune with it.

[Phlegethon]

No problem if he is theologically sound. But knowing the power shifts in the Vatican I'd rather expect the next Pope to be Asian, maybe even Chinese.

[Lutiferre]

The Pope of Rome should be from the Church of Rome, not from some remote country (in my opinion). Anything else seems inconsistent with Church Tradition. The Tradition was exactly that the Church in Rome was the one who safeguarded orthodoxy, not that the seat of Rome should be taken by each and every nationality. Exceptions can be made, of course, and should be made if absolutely necessary. But this is going beyond it. It's like it's a competition over it from nationalities around the globe.