Another Italian Pope From Rome Via Argentina
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana was the choice of Africa and some odd bookies. He was not meant to be Pope just as his brother Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, passed over twice until he became too old to be in the running. Italians are great people, great construction workers that educated their children to be architects in the Americas as many bragged some years ago. But so are the Germans and others.
Though Cardinal Turkson was favored by many because they believed they would not disappoint the poor from whom the mother of Jesus came. While some were hopeful, many of us did not hold our breath in the Continent that produced St. Augustine and St. Monica. The choice of Pope or some international positions are not as beneficial to Africans as their choice of leaders that must rescue them from poverty and corruption.
When it comes to the most religious people on earth, Nigerians win by an independent international survey, not the Italians. On the other hand Latin Americans are the fastest growing Catholics not the Europeans or the Romans. So the question was by a master stroke; who became Pope Francis without rocking the boat?
Bergoglio's Bricco Marmorito Italian roots celebrated here as Obama's Kenyan roots did.
The Catholic king makers really want an Italian and they got one in Pope Francis. Indeed, they could have found an Italian immigrant in Africa, Americas and Southeast Asia while looking for a safe choice to keep everyone happy. Viola! They found one in Argentina, a dark horse and praises kept coming in from all over the world. Well, sorry you guys have been had again.
There were three Popes referred to as Africans: Pope St Victor I (ca186-198), Pope St Miltiades (311-14), and Pope St Gelasius (492-496). Each of them were noted to be related or from North Africa. One of them, Miltiades might have been born in Rome by African family. They are no different from the North Africans of today in terms of who see them as black or see them as whites.
There is a difference between Jesus coming from the poorest of the poor and choosing a Pope from Latin America, Africa or Southeast Asia where their highest numbers of converts are coming from. Papal ascendancy is not a poverty game, it is a prayer of high political maneuver at stake. There is a difference between choosing a Pope and electing the President of United States, the most powerful position in the world.
United States went through a great deal of transformation, justice and transparency before its political parties became open to women and black candidates. The US challenged itself by its preaching of open democratic process and through the courts. The debates are still on if the Africans that paid the price could have been elected instead of the African that reminded voters that he is also part of the majority whose white grandfather was a world war veteran.
Comparing the Vatican to United States is like comparing oranges to agbalumo. It is a totally different situation in the Catholic Church that is still closed and made up of very conservative principles including that of African cardinals. Women are still not treated as men considering the prominent roles played by Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus. Jesus would have frowned on such exclusion as he did for Mary Magdalene.
Increasing numbers of Catholics are deserting the Church in Europe and North America since they have become disenchanted with the rigid conservative teaching and the exclusion of women in the top hierarchy. Indeed more people are becoming free thinkers realizing that heavens only help those who help themselves.
These Europeans are more involved in improving their lot on earth rather than wait until they get to heaven. There are very few of us, if any, that has gone and come back except the story of Jesus himself. Anyway, these days it is more important to live comfortably on earth than to wait for what we are not sure of. It is a different situation if you are one of those waiting for 42 virgins in heavens, of course.
However, some of the Rev. Fathers caught in homosexual relationships with altar boys could not wait. Their abuse of altar boys by homosexual amongst the priests has not helped either. If people put in the highest order of trust can be so creepy in dealing with the most vulnerable members of the church, we all wonder how sincere they could be when preaching reward in heaven they could not wait for.
The only people left at the salvation of religion are poor people looking for salvation from their increasing yoke in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. It seems that more people are looking at reality that heaven only helps those that help themselves. But when poverty strikes, we look anywhere for retrieve. Be it in heaven or on earth.
Nevertheless, the Catholic Church felt the need to listen to regions where there are new converts all over the world, especially the fastest growing Catholics. While proportion of Catholics dropped in some regions—from 24.05% to 23.83% in Europe, the Pope gained followers in Africa (15.15% to 15.55%) and Southeast Asia (10.87% to 10.47%). But it grew more so in the South America from 28.34% to 28.54%.
The number of priests in North America and Europe declined between 2005 and 2010. In Africa they grew by 16 percent. In terms of raw numbers, Latin America Catholics grew more. But the choice of the Pope is not by numbers and percentages. Vatican had enough Popes recently from outside Rome. A Roman immigrant anywhere in the world is just as good as the one from Italy. The Pope has damage control waiting ahead of him.