As the search for a new Pontiff for the Catholic Church continues, the Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN), has advocated the consideration of an African Cardinal as the next Head of the Catholic Church, following Easter Monday’s death of Pope Francis.
According to FORBESBUSINESS, the Catholic Church will soon close the doors of the Sistine Chapel to select a successor to Pope Francis in the conclave ballot process to select a new pontiff.
The eligible cardinals likely to be among the top candidates are: Archbishop of Marseille, France, Jean-Marc Aveline; Archbishop of Budapest and Hungary’s primate, Peter Erdo; Pietro Parolin (Italy); Marc Ouellet (Canada); Luis Tagle (Philippines) and Archbishop of Bologna, Italy, Matteo Zuppi.
Others are Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fridolin Ambongo; Robert Sarah (Guinea); Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Mario Grech (Malta) and Joseph Tobin, the 72-year-old Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey.
The Guardian gathered that cardinals under the age of 80 will lock themselves in the Sistine Chapel between 15 and 20 days after Francis’ death to begin the election process, suggesting this period could begin on May 6.
The “papal conclave”, it was also gathered, must reach a two-third majority of votes to name a new pope. If a vote is taken but does not meet this threshold, black smoke will be emitted from the chapel, signalling a failed vote, while white smoke indicates a new pope has been selected. The process usually takes a few days to complete, though late Francis was chosen after roughly 24 hours.
Recall that the late Pope Francis, an Argentine known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and died at age 88 on Monday, according to the Vatican. He was elected pontiff in 2013 after Benedict XVI, who died in December 2022 at age 95, and became the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years. He chose his name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, a 12th-century figure known for renouncing his wealth and opting to live in poverty.
THE prominent traditional ruler from Delta State argued that the time was ripe for Africa to produce the Pope.
In a statement, yesterday, he listed potential candidates from the continent to include Peter Turkson from Ghana, Robert Sarah from Guinea and Besungu from DR Congo.
The Guardian reports that there has been calls for an African to emerge as the next Pope, as proponents say the Catholic Church is yet to produce an African Pope in its almost 2000-year history.
The respected royal father said the late Pope Francis championed inclusivity in the Church and the time had come to practicalise it by giving Africa a chance.
The Asagba added that Africa presently appeared to be the bedrock of Catholicism and by extension Christianity the world over and needed the momentum and impetus to lead the Church in the right direction.
The Knight of Saint John (KSJ) and Knight of Saint Gregory the Great (KSG) said while the Church looked up to God for guidance in the selection process, the factors of inclusivity and participation must count in favour of Africa, describing the continent as the future of the Church.
He said Besungu, 65, is the only Cardinal from Africa on late Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, who, as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions.
