Gladness Gideon
As the Catholic Church prepares for a new era following the death of Pope Francis, global attention is turning toward Africa — a continent whose growing Catholic population and influential clergy are reshaping conversations around the papacy.
Among those drawing interest is Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, a seasoned Vatican insider known for his diplomatic acumen and moderate stances on controversial issues. Though once hesitant about the prospect of becoming the first Black pope — saying in an earlier interview, “I wouldn’t want to be that first black pope. I think he’ll have a rough time” — Turkson’s name is once again being whispered in Vatican circles.
Turkson, who became Ghana’s first cardinal in 2003 and has held several high-level positions in the Vatican, gained international recognition for his peacemaking role during Ghana’s tense 2008 elections. More recently, he has expressed a nuanced view on LGBTQ rights, stating in 2023 that “LGBT people may not be criminalised because they’ve committed no crime,” a sentiment that may appeal to moderates within the Church.
He is not alone in the African clergy’s rising profile. Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a staunch conservative and critic of liberal reforms, is favored by traditionalists. Meanwhile, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been both an ally of Pope Francis and a vocal opponent of same-sex blessings in Africa, highlighting the ideological diversity among African contenders.
As African Catholics now make up roughly 20 percent of the Church’s global membership — and 12 percent of the conclave that will elect the next pope — many believe it is only a matter of time before the continent is represented at the highest level. Pope Francis’s own non-European background, as the first pontiff from Latin America, has paved the way for a more inclusive Church leadership.
Yet, not everyone is convinced the world is ready. A Congolese priest, speaking anonymously, pointed to lingering racial biases within the Church: “Discrimination, even if it isn’t obvious among our European brothers, is still a reality.”
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Despite that, voices within the African Church urge a focus on spiritual purpose over geographic entitlement. “We shouldn’t think ‘it’s our turn’,” said Sylvain Badibanga, dean of the faculty of theology at the Catholic University of Congo. “It’s God’s turn.”
Father Paul Maji, a priest in Abuja, Nigeria, echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the symbolic importance of an African pope but emphasizing the universal mission of the Church.
From debates over clerical celibacy to calls for economic justice and climate advocacy, African clergy are increasingly seen as offering perspectives that resonate with many of today’s global challenges.
“If it’s the will of God,” Turkson once said of the papacy — a phrase that now feels closer to reality than ever before.