logo
Could the next pope be from Africa or Asia? Experts weigh in

Could the next pope be from Africa or Asia? Experts weigh in

Yahoo22-04-2025

Pope Francis marked multiple firsts for the papacy, becoming the first Latin American pope and the first from the Southern Hemisphere when elected in 2013.
He was also the first head of the Roman Catholic Church born outside of Europe in over a millennium.
Following his death on Monday at the age of 88, the selection process to elect the 267th pontiff will soon begin.Ahead of the secretive gathering of eligible cardinals for the vote, questions swirl over whether the next pope will similarly come from outside Europe, such as Asia or Africa, and potentially be another history-making leader.
"I do think it's fair to say that election of an archbishop from Asia or Africa is certainly a real probability now. That is not unthinkable at all," Bruce Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy chair in Roman Catholic studies and distinguished professor of theology at Vanderbilt University, told ABC News. "That's very different from when, let's say, someone like John Paul II was elected. It was a big deal back in 1978 because he wasn't Italian."
"To move a couple papacies later to a man from Argentina -- clearly, it's reflecting more than ever a global church," he added.
The election of someone from the Global South would be a "move in that direction of how to be a global church," Jaisy A. Joseph, an assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, told ABC News.
"That move from a Eurocentric church to a truly global church -- I think that's what Francis really inaugurated," she said.
MORE: Who are the top contenders to be the next pope? Experts weigh in
Pope Francis' successor could be someone who continues his progressive legacy and mirrors his pastoral approach, or someone who counters it with a more conservative approach, experts say.
"Is he going to be someone who really strongly continues the primary emphases of the Francis papacy, or do they want to go with someone that they would see as bringing a balance or a certain pendulum swing, to use that language, in counter or contrast of priorities from the Francis papacy?" Morrill said.
Such a swing occurred when Pope Francis was elected, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, Morrill noted.
For Morrill and Joseph, one man who is a natural successor to Pope Francis is a man known as the "Asian Francis" -- Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, 67, of the Philippines.
"Really being with people, listening to people, encountering people where they are and not being afraid of difference -- I think those are traits that Tagle really exemplifies," Joseph said. "That could possibly be a point of continuity if he were to be elected pope."
Morrill said Tagle is a "strongly viable candidate" and someone who would continue the priorities of Pope Francis, who appointed Tagle to an office in the Vatican that focuses on evangelization.
"If the electors are going to turn to someone and discern the way to go is to continue, strongly, the priorities of the late Pope Francis, Tagle fits the bill," Morrill said.
"He's likewise someone who smiles readily and has this warm pastoral way," he added. "That's what makes him the figure that we would think of as providing the most continuity."
If elected, Tagle would be the first Asian pope.
MORE: Pope Francis live updates
Should the voting cardinals move in a more conservative direction, a potential pope could be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Morrill said. Such a move would make for the first Black pope in modern history.
"There would be archbishops, cardinal archbishops in Sub-Saharan Africa that are much more focused on preservation or guarding of the strict traditional practices and teachings of the church," Morrill said.
One name that comes to mind for Morrill is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Other conservative candidates from Africa that could gain recognition include Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, and Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, 79, according to Miles Pattenden, historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University.
Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the secret conclave inside the Sistine Chapel to choose the next pontiff, a gathering that typically commences between 15 to 20 days after the pope's death.
A two-thirds majority is required to elect a pontiff.
MORE: Electing a new pope: What happens next and what is a papal conclave?
Francis appointed roughly 80% of the cardinals who are eligible to vote for his successor, which could impact the selection of the next pope, Morrill said.
"He was advancing and choosing more and more people from Asia and Africa, and so that does all feed these distinct probabilities or possibilities," Morrill said. "But there really is no way to make any solid prediction."
The Pew Research Center found that under Francis, voting-age cardinals from the Asia-Pacific region increased 10%, and those from Sub-Saharan Africa went up 8%, while those from Europe decreased 51%.
In all, there are 53 cardinal electors from Europe, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, 17 from South America, 16 from North America, four from Central America and four from Oceania, according to the Vatican.
For Phyllis Zagano, the senior research associate-in-residence in Hofstra University's Department of Religion, it's unclear at the moment how that shift in makeup will impact the election of the next pope.
"The College of Cardinals has expanded significantly under Pope Francis, who has included cardinals from the farthest reaches of the world," Zagano told ABC News. "Whether that will make any difference in the election of his successor remains to be seen."
Could the next pope be from Africa or Asia? Experts weigh in originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says
Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

Yahoo

time36 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

LONDON -- Polish and allied planes briefly scrambled early on Monday in Polish airspace, as Russia targeted nearby Ukraine with aerial strikes, the Polish armed forces said. The Ukrainian air force issued a series of alerts early on Monday, saying Russian drones were targeting areas throughout much of Ukraine. The operation commander of the armed forces in Poland "launched all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness," the military said in a statement in Polish translated by ABC News. The launches were "preventative in nature," the military said. About three hours after that initial message, at about 7 a.m. local time, the military said the threat of Russian strikes had been reduced, so the Polish and allied warplanes had been returned to their usual activity. "We inform you that no violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland has been observed," the military said. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says originally appeared on

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

timean hour ago

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

LONDON -- Polish and allied planes briefly scrambled early on Monday in Polish airspace, as Russia targeted nearby Ukraine with aerial strikes, the Polish armed forces said. The Ukrainian air force issued a series of alerts early on Monday, saying Russian drones were targeting areas throughout much of Ukraine. The operation commander of the armed forces in Poland "launched all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness," the military said in a statement in Polish translated by ABC News. The launches were "preventative in nature," the military said. About three hours after that initial message, at about 7 a.m. local time, the military said the threat of Russian strikes had been reduced, so the Polish and allied warplanes had been returned to their usual activity. "We inform you that no violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland has been observed," the military said.

Terry Moran Insulted Stephen Miller? That's None of the Government's Business.
Terry Moran Insulted Stephen Miller? That's None of the Government's Business.

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Terry Moran Insulted Stephen Miller? That's None of the Government's Business.

Terry Moran is a senior national correspondent for ABC News. Over the weekend, his employer suspended him over a statement he posted (and subsequently deleted) on X. In it, Moran described Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, as "richly endowed with the capacity for hatred." "You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment," wrote Moran. "He eats his hate." The tweet drew a fierce rebuke from Vice President J.D. Vance, who described it as an "absolutely vile smear." Vance, of course, is entitled to that opinion. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went a step further, declaring that "we"—i.e., the federal government—would be inquiring with ABC about disciplinary action. This is a textbook example of "jawboning"—when the government tries to accomplish some censorship by threatening improper government action. It is exactly the sort of thing that conservatives rightly hated about the previous administration: President Joe Biden, his senior advisors, and various federal employees browbeat social media companies into taking down content that the feds deemed wrong, hateful, or dangerous. They didn't just say that they disagreed with major platform moderation policies: They raised the possibility of punitive legislation against Facebook, Google, and Twitter unless they complied. Leavitt is free to complain about Moran's comment, as Vance did. But her insinuation that she would be speaking with Moran's manager reads like a threat, and thus like an attempt at censorship. As Jenin Younes, a civil liberties attorney, noted in a reply to Leavitt, the Trump administration issued an executive order to prevent the kind of jawboning that took place under the previous White House. To turn around and do the same thing is obviously hypocritical. "Journalists and everyone else can say what they want about members of the Administration (and anything else) without having to fear reprisal from the government," wrote Younes. "You should delete this tweet and apologize for your attempted act of tyranny and also failure to understand basic constitutional concepts." As for Moran's post: It probably was unwise for a straight news reporter to share his spicy speculations about Miller's motivations. Mainstream media organizations have different rules for news reporters and opinion commentators, and it's possible that Moran violated his company's social media policy. He has a First Amendment right vis a vis the U.S. government, not with respect to ABC. That said, these prohibitions on reporters sharing their own opinions on social media seem increasingly outdated. Does anyone harbor doubts that virtually all straight-news journalists possess deeply held ideological convictions, perspectives, and biases? Isn't it better to know what they actually think? Large numbers of Americans now get their news from independent writers, content creators, and influencers on social media, Substack, YouTube, and other places—and the most successful voices tend to be upfront about their opinions. Expecting journalists to conceal their perspectives seems quaint and not exactly useful. Moran's statement that Miller derives "spiritual nourishment" from feasting on pure hate is a tad dramatic. (Emperor Palpatine, anyone?) But Miller is, in fact, a fanatical supporter of deporting not just violent or gang-connected illegal immigrants but everyone who may be in the country illegally. He recently reportedly yelled at representatives of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because they were prioritizing deportations of violent criminals; Miller reportedly wanted ICE agents to patrol Home Depots and 7-Elevens and arrest anybody who looked like they might not be here legally. Insults like "fascist" and "Nazi" are frequently overused to describe prominent Republican figures. But it's not exactly insane to say that Miller comes off as kind of hateful. The post Terry Moran Insulted Stephen Miller? That's None of the Government's Business. appeared first on

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store