Africa Asks if Time Right for African Pope

[truthpusher]

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze

04/04/2005 17:57
APO
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Africa Asks if Time Right for African Pope
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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Many Africans think it's time for an African pope.

They say having a black at the top would anchor the Roman Catholic Church among the world's poor - signaling that the Vatican aims to lead the fight against inequality and disease, offering a hope of salvation in this world as well as the next.

And, they add, it would recognize that the church is gravitating away from the ailing parishes and empty pews of Europe to focus on vibrant congregations to the south.

Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria is among those mentioned most often around the Vatican as potential successors to John Paul II, although he is considered a long shot by most accounts, even among Africans.

``It would show that God has a sense of humor to give the people a black pope, but are Westerners ready to accept that?'' asked Cardinal Bernard Agre of Ivory Coast, one of Africa's 12 cardinals.

complete story: http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2005040417570001842957&dt=20050404175700&w=APO&coview=

[tjdee]

1. Yeah, right.

:eyes:

That'll be the day.

[arcos]

2. Let's hope not...

He's as far to the right as Cardinal Ratzinger. Those two would probably be the worst...

" In many parts of the world, the family is under siege. It is opposed by an anti-life mentality as is seen in contraception, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. It is scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions and cut in two by divorce. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Arinze

[sundancekid]

8. not to mention lack of condoms ... they are all pretty much to the right

if they have been mentored by the late pope ...

http://www.repubblica.it/varie/conclave/index.html
here's the rest of the list to check out at wikipedia

AGNELO, Geraldo Majella
AGRÉ, Bernard
ÁLVAREZ MARTÍNEZ, Francisco
AMBROZIC, Aloysius Matthew
AMIGO, VALLEJO Carlos, O.F.M.
ANTONELLI, Ennio
ARINZE, Francis
BACKIS, Audrys Juozas
BARBARIN, Philippe
BAUM, William Wakefield
BERGOGLIO, Jorge Mario, S.I.
BERTONE, Tarcisio, S.D.B.
BIFFI, Giacomo
BOZANIC, Josip
CACCIAVILLAN, Agostino
CARLES GORDÓ, Ricardo María
CASTRILLÓN HOYOS, Darío
CÉ, Marco
CIPRIANI THORNE, Juan Luis
CONNELL, Desmond
da CRUZ POLICARPO, José
DANNEELS, Godfried
DAOUD Ignace Moussa I
DARMAATMADJA, Julius Riyadi
DE GIORGI, Salvatore
DIAS, Ivan
EGAN, Edward Michael
ERDO, Péter
ERRÁZURIZ OSSA, Francisco J.
ETSOU-NZ.-BAMUNGWABI, Frédéric
FALCÃO, FREIRE José
GEORGE, Francis Eugene, O.M.I.
GIORDANO, Michele
GLEMP, Józef
GROCHOLEWSKI, Zenon
HAMAO, Stephen Fumio
HERRANZ, Julián
HUMMES, Cláudio, O.F.M.
HUSAR, Lubomyr, M.S.U.
JAWORSKI, Marian
KASPER, Walter
KEELER, William Henry
KITBUNCHU, Michael Michai
LAW, Bernard Francis
LEHMANN, Karl
LOPEZ RODRÍGUEZ, Nicolás de J.
LÓPEZ TRUJILLO, Alfonso
LOZANO BARRAGÁN, Javier
LUSTIGER, Jean-Marie
MACHARSKI, Franciszek
MAHONY, Roger Michael
MAIDA, Adam Joseph
MARCHISANO, Francesco
MARTÍNEZ, SOMALO Eduardo
MARTINI, Carlo Maria, S.I.
MARTINO, Renato Raffaele
McCARRICK, Theodore Edgar
MEDINA ESTÉVEZ, Jorge Arturo
MEISNER, Joachim
MURPHY-O’CONNOR, Cormac
NAPIER, Wilfrid Fox, O.F.M.
NICORA, Attilio 16/03/37
OBANDO, BRAVO Miguel, S.D.B.
O’BRIEN, Keith Michael Patrick
OKOGIE, Anthony Olubunmi
ORTEGA Y ALAMINO, Jaime Lucas
OUELLET, Marc, P.S.S.
PANAFIEU, Bernard
PASKAI, László, O.F.M.
PELL, George
PENGO, Polycarp
PHAM MINH MÂN, Jean-Baptiste
POLETTO, Severino
POMPEDDA, Mario Francesco
POUPARD, Paul
PUJATS, Janis
PULJIC, Vinko
QUEZADA TORUÑO, Rodolfo
RATZINGER, Joseph
RAZAFINDRATANDRA, Armand
RE, Giovanni Battista
RIGALI, Justin Francis
RIVERA CARRERA, Norberto
RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA, Oscar
ROUCO VARELA, Antonio María
RUBIANO SÁENZ, Pedro
RUINI, Camillo
SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Juan
SARAIVA MARTINS, José, C.M.F.
SCHEID, Eusébio Oscar, S.C.I.
SCHÖNBORN, Christoph, O.P.
SCHWERY, Henri
SCOLA, Angelo
SEBASTIANI, Sergio
SEPE, Crescenzio
SHIRAYANAGI, Peter Seiichi
SIMONIS, Adrianus Johannes
SIN, Jaime Lachica
SODANO, Angelo
STAFFORD, James Francis
STERZINSKY, Georg Maximilian
SUÁREZ RIVERA, Adolfo Antonio
SZOKA, Edmund Casimir
TAURAN, Jean-Louis
TERRAZAS SANDOVAL, Julio
TETTAMANZI, Dionigi
TOPPO, Telesphore Placidus
TUMI, Christian Wiyghan
TURCOTTE, Jean-Claude
TURKSON, Peter Kodwo Appiah
VIDAL, Ricardo J.
VITHAYATHIL, Varkey, C.SS.R.
VLK, Miloslav
WAMALA, Emmanuel
WETTER, Friedrich
WILLIAMS, Thomas Stafford
ZUBEIR, WAKO Gabriel

[arcos]

10. Yeah, but there are a few who are considered "liberal"...

At least more liberal than the bunch, which is always a good thing.

MSNBC has an interesting section with some information on 21 possible candidates.

There are 5 liberals...

Cardinal Cristoph Schonborn
Nationality: Austrian
Job: Archbishop of Vienna

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga
Nationality: Honduran
Job: Archbishop of Tegucigalpa

Cardinal Godfried Danneels
Nationality: Belgian
Job: Archbishop of Brussels

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos
Nationality: Colombian
Job: Vatican Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez
Nationality: Dominican
Job: Archbishop of Santo Domingo

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4136355/

[MrSlayer]

3. I've been backing this guy for years.

I sincerely hope they pick him. Oh the fun I will have.

[Retrograde]

4. wouldn't be the first time

There have been African popes before - a quick Google came up with Victor I (c. 187 - c. 199), Miltiades (310-314)(aka Melchiades and other various spellings) and Gelasius I (492 - 496), but they were most likely from northern Africa. After 1500 years it's time for another one!

[AuntiBush]

5. They say the Pope left behind his own Secret Choice

and I have a funny feeling it was Cardinal Francis Arinze.

It would make perfect sense to me.

[LeftyMom]

6. Shouldn't the church strengthen it's weak spots?

It doesn't make much sense to energize an area where it's already vibrant, does it?

Why can't they just pick the guy who's best for the job? Picking someone based on where they live makes as much sense as choosing whoever looks best in the outfit.

[IndignusFamulus]

13. not such bad criteria at all

Don't forget that JPII was picked largely because of where he lived - the fact that he came from a Communist nation wasn't a coincidence. They're not necessarily looking for the best man for the job, but for the right man at the right time.

As for strengthening areas, Popes have mostly come from areas where the Church was already strong - like, for example, Italy... or even Poland.

I can understand the disagreements over Arinze's positions, but the conservative cardinals all have pretty much the same views. Out of the conservatives (one of whom will most likely be picked), he's not that bad a choice, considering some of the current troubles in Africa, especially Sudan.

Sure, he's considered a long shot, but so were most Popes.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rocktivity]

9. I suspect this is all window dressing

This way, they can say that they at least thought about it.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Sandpiper]

11. Cardinal Arinze would be a terrible choice for Africans

The Aids epidemic is probably the single greatest crisis facing Africa, and Cardinal Arinze is unflinchingly opposed to contraception.

[donheld]

12. Let's push William Pitt for Pope

:spray:

[Stockholm]

14. won´t happen unfortunately n/t

[shadowknows69]

15. a black pope

would at the very least weed out those Klan Kard Karrying Katholics real quick.

[oneighty]

16. Next thing you know

some Chinese Bishop be jumping up and down yelling out "Me me pick me."

Sarcasm

180