← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Blond Knight
Thread ID: 13838 | Posts: 16 | Started: 2004-05-23
2004-05-23 04:37 | User Profile
[URL]http://www.africana.com/articles/daily/bw/2003118pope.asp[/URL]
Could Cardinal Francis Arinze, of Nigeria be the next pope?
Will an African Pope Lead Catholics Again?
As the Catholic Church becomes a majority-minority religion, it may be time for another African pope. Another? Yep - surprising as it may sound, there have been three popes from Africa, although not for the past 15 centuries.
By Frank McCoy
As the Catholic Church becomes a majority-minority religion, it may be time for another African pope. Another? Yep - surprising as it may sound, there have been three popes from Africa, although not for the past 15 centuries. As Pope John Paul II's increasing frailty begins to spark speculation about who will next lead the church, one of the front-runners appears to be Cardinal Francis Arinze, of Nigeria.
Howard University professor Sulayman Nyang thinks an African would send a strong message worldwide.
"If he is elected by his colleagues, it would do for the religious world what the political world did by electing Kofi Annan [U.N. Secretary-General]," Nyang says. "The election of an African to the papacy would also have tremendous, moral, political, and psychological consequences for Africa."
Every pope is a combination of a spiritual leader, CEO of a multi-billion dollar enterprise, and an international diplomat with great influence. Naturally, John Paul II wants to preserve his legacy and to continue to be able to influence the church after he is gone. Both politically and spiritually savvy, John Paul knows that more than 60% of the church's flock now live in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It's no surprise, then, that he has shifted Catholicismùs political (if not its theological) center south. By doing so, he is altering the complexion of the hierarchy in the church to mirror its darker worshippers - perhaps even presaging Catholicism's move away from two millennia of white European male domination.
During his 25-year pontificate, Pope John Paul II has appointed all but five of the 135 cardinal-electors in the College of Cardinals (the that body picks the new pontiff from its own ranks), which for the first time in its history is not dominated by Europeans.
One of two cardinals from Nigeria, which has 20 million Catholics, Arinze has strong papal qualities, including a compelling personal story, Vatican experience, and an ideological bent that blends a strong interest in social justice and ecumenism with conservative view on doctrinal and moral issues - a combination reminiscent of the current pope.
When he was installed in 1978, John Paul bucked centuries-long trend of Italian popes. Hailing from Poland, he brought a staunch anti-Communist bent to the position, along with a perceived tolerance toward different religions and a voice for social justice worldwide.
Cardinal Arinze has a similar profile. He is considered humble and diplomatic, and is know for his humor and playfulness - like the athletic John Paul, he loves tennis and soccer, An Ibo from southeast Nigeria, Arinze converted to Catholicism at age nine but he has not forgotten his roots: African art decorates his apartment and he advocates that African and other cultural traditions be respected and incorporated into Catholic services.
Sister Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., is director and professor of Systematic Theology at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies on the campus of Xavier University, in New Orleans, the nation's only black Catholic institution of higher education. A member of the Adrian Dominican order, Phelps is near ecstatic that Arinze could become pope. Arinze possesses the character and experience for the job, she says, but cautions that at 72, his age could be a liability.
If he is chosen, she adds, "African Americans would recognize him as a black pope, but the dominant culture may separate him [from blackness] as they may not see the continuity and connections between continental Africans and black America."
Arinze currently holds the number four spot in Vatican hierarchy as the head of church liturgy, and Pope John Paul is widely considered his mentor. If Pope John Paul knew communism from living with it, Cardinal Arinze understands the challenges of dealing with contending faiths. From 1984 to 2002, he was the president of Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. Howard University's Nyang gives him credit for supporting Catholic ecumenism and pluralism, and pushing Muslim-Christian dialogue. Arinze has written three books on the subjects including Christian-Muslim Relations in the Twenty-first Century and Religions for Peace: A Call for Solidarity to the Religions of the World.
Arinze also has his critics. Like the current pontiff, he is seen as doctrinally ultra-conservative, a staunch opponent of the ordination of women, the legitimizing of divorce, the use of birth control - all positions on which many US Catholics find themselves differing with the mother church. But like John Paul, the Nigerian cardinal is a seen as progressive and vocal supporter of religious tolerance, international debt relief, and human rights.
Black Catholics worldwide are overjoyed at the prospect of an African pope. Globally, the black Catholic Diaspora includes more than 200 million members. There are 130 million African Catholics. About 60 million black Catholics live in Latin and South America and 15 million more on the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In the United States, roughly two million of the 54 million total Catholics are African American. The fastest-growing group of black Catholics in this country are immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
Father Cyprian Davis is a Benedictine monk at St. Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana elaborates further. He is the author of The History of Black Catholics in the United States and teaches church history in the St. Meinrad School of Theology.
For black Catholics in America the election of an African pope would be a vindication of their historical place in the American Catholic Church. Davis cites a 16th century baptismal register from St. Augustine, Florida that lists the births of black free and slave children. "Arinze's election would be a statement that the Catholic Church is not a white man's institution."
The African Popes
Pope Saint Victor 1 (189-199 CE) A North African, Victor was the fifteenth pope. He is buried near the body of the apostle Peter, the first pope, in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. His feast day is July 28th.
Pope Saint Miliades 1 (311-314 CE) Not much is known of Miliades, who was born in Africa but died in Rome. He is buried on the famous Appian Way. His feast day is December 10th.
Pope Saint Gelasius 1 (492-496 CE) Born in Rome of African parents, Gelasius was a member of the Roman clergy from youth. Reportedly the most active of African popes, working to exile the Manicheans and pagans, and is author of a famous letter to the Byzantine emperor, Anastasias. His feast day is November 21st.
First published: November 18, 2003
About the Author
Frank McCoy writes on sports, business and society, and is based in the DC area.
2004-05-23 16:06 | User Profile
Heaven forbid we have any "white man" instituitons or havens left in this world. (sarcasm)
2004-05-23 16:21 | User Profile
I expect the next Pope to be very conventional, probably Italian. After the roller-coaster pontificate of JPII, I doubt an African would stand any chance. Even a South American would be unlikely. And I don't regard Arinze as a heavyweight. He no doubt owes his position to his ethnicity.
Contrary to popular belief, the Church was accepted fairly quickly in Africa once the missionaries came in the 18th and 19th century. Nigeria, Uganda, Burundi, and French West Africa all bring a healthy youthful and moral sense. Quite a contrast with the decadent West.
2004-05-24 13:22 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Blond Knight]Yep - surprising as it may sound, there have been three popes from Africa, although not for the past 15 centuries.
The African Popes
Pope Saint Victor 1 (189-199 CE) A North African, Victor was the fifteenth pope. He is buried near the body of the apostle Peter, the first pope, in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. His feast day is July 28th.
Pope Saint Miliades 1 (311-314 CE) Not much is known of Miliades, who was born in Africa but died in Rome. He is buried on the famous Appian Way. His feast day is December 10th.
Pope Saint Gelasius 1 (492-496 CE) Born in Rome of African parents, Gelasius was a member of the Roman clergy from youth. Reportedly the most active of African popes, working to exile the Manicheans and pagans, and is author of a famous letter to the Byzantine emperor, Anastasias. His feast day is November 21st. [/QUOTE] This is a little written sleight-of-hand here. Notice how the writer uses "African" for both the current Nigerian Cardinal and these three earlier popes? While this is technically correct, he is obviously counting on clueless readers to think, "hmm, African = black, so there have been three black popes." I would be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that none of these three popes were Negroes.
2004-05-24 14:45 | User Profile
No doubt correct, Quantrill. North Africa was a thoroughly caucasian portion of the Roman Empire. St. Augustine was from there. Some remnant caucasians still remain, such as the late Anwar Sadat's wife.
2004-05-24 15:02 | User Profile
Well, according to Malachi Martin in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church Miltiades is the Pope who made the deal with Constantine plus he had to deal with the heretic Donatus ( a black numidian). So the statement that not much is known about him is obviously a ruse to foist him as a negro on the uninformed. Martin says that Miltiades was of mixed Greek-Berber (both caucasian BTW) parentage and spoke only Greek and Latin.
2004-05-24 15:25 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Buster]I expect the next Pope to be very conventional, probably Italian. After the roller-coaster pontificate of JPII, I doubt an African would stand any chance. Even a South American would be unlikely. And I don't regard Arinze as a heavyweight. He no doubt owes his position to his ethnicity.
Contrary to popular belief, the Church was accepted fairly quickly in Africa once the missionaries came in the 18th and 19th century. Nigeria, Uganda, Burundi, and French West Africa all bring a healthy youthful and moral sense. Quite a contrast with the decadent West.[/QUOTE]
I think you're probably right about that.
Everybody's pooped from JPII's relentless activitiy (of course, he's visibly slowed down the past few years).
I also agree that the black Church in Africa remains blessedly unaffected by the modernist heresy, and from a doctrinal point of view all I need is an orthodox guy who's willing to wage all-out war on the sodomites and feminists. He could be from Mars for all I care. Hey, so long as he preaches the Church's teachings whole-cloth (including nationalism), then he's just fine with me.
If we get a liberal, I may have to join Mel Gibson in the loyal opposition. As it is, I'm so thorougly disgusted with the fudgepackers in roman collars we have in nearly every parish (and their kitsche faggot taste in everything from the sappy guitar music to the darling little banners hanging on the altar) . . . .
That's enough out of me for today, thank you very much.
Walter
2004-05-24 16:05 | User Profile
From the webpage of THE NATIONAL BLACK CATHOLIC CONGRESS:
African Popes
There were three African Popes who came from the region of North Africa. Although there are no authentic portraits of these popes, there are drawings and references in the Catholic Encyclopedia as to their being of African background. The names of the Three African Popes are: Victor (183-203 A.D.), Gelasius (492-496 A.D.), and Mechiades or Militiades (311-314 A.D.). All are saints.
Pope Saint Victor 1
Saint Victor was born in Africa and bore a Latin name as most African did at that time. Saint Victor was the fifteenth pope and a native of black Africa. He served from 186 A.D. until 197 A.D. He served during the reign of Emperor Septimus Severus, also African, who had led Roman legions in Britain. Some of the known contributions of Victor were his reaffirming the holy feast of Easter to be held on Sunday as Pius has done. As a matter of fact, he called Theophilous, Bishop of Alexandria, on the carpet for not doing this. He also condemned and excommunicated Theodore of Byzantium because of the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ. He added acolytes to the attendance of the clergy. He was crowned with martyrdom. He was pope for ten years, two months and ten days. He was buried near the body of the apostle Peter, the first pope in Vatican. Some reports relate that St. Victor died in 198 A.D. of natural causes. Other accounts stated he suffered martyrdom under Servus. He is buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near the "Convessio."
Pope Saint Victor 1 feast day is July 28th.
Pope Saint Gelasius 1
Saint Gelasius was born in Rome of African parents and was a member of the Roman clergy from youth. Of the three African popes, Gelasius seems to have been the busiest. He occupied the holy papacy four years, eight months and eighteen days from 492 A.D. until 496 A.D. Gelasius followed up Militades' work with the Manicheans. He exiled them from Rome and burned their books before the doors of the basilica of the holy Mary. He delivered the city of Rome from the peril of famine. He was a writer of strong letters to people of all rank and classes. He denounced Lupercailia, a fertility rite celebration. He asked them sternly why the gods they worshipped had not provided calm seas so the grain ships could have reached Rome in time for the winter. He wrote to Femina, a wealthy woman of rank, and asked her to have the lands of St. Peter, taken by the barbarians and the Romans, be returned to the church. The lands were needed for the poor who were flocking to Rome. His theory on the relations between the Church and the state are explained in the Gelasian Letter to the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius. He was known for his austerity of life and liberality to the poor.
There is today in the library of the church at Rome a 28 chapter document on church administration and discipline. Pope Saint Gelasius 1 feast day is November 21st.
Pope Saint Miliades 1
Saint Miltiades was one of the Church's Black Popes. Militades occupied the papacy from 311 to 314 A.D. serving four years, seven months and eight days. Militiades decreed that none of the faithful should fast on Sunday or on the fifth day of the week ...because this was the custom of the pagans. He also found residing in Rome a Persian based religion call Manichaenism. He furthered decreed that consecrated offerings should be sent throughout the churches from the pope's consecration. This was call leaven. It was Militiades who led the church to final victory over the Roman Empire. Militiades was buried on the famous Appain Way.
Pope Saint Militiades feast day is December 10th.
I would be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that none of these three popes were Negroes.
That's still a safe bet.
[IMG]http://www.italycyberguide.com/History/popes/StVictor_I.JPG[/IMG]Pope Saint Victor 1
2004-05-29 16:59 | User Profile
My World Politics professor is a Negro Catholic priest from Ghana.
2004-05-29 18:33 | User Profile
[QUOTE=FadeTheButcher]My World Politics professor is a Negro Catholic priest from Ghana.[/QUOTE]
Is this the first class you will have ended up teaching?
2004-05-31 04:31 | User Profile
I am sick of marxists lying about history! :furious:
2004-05-31 14:08 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Happy Hacker] That's still a safe bet.
[IMG]http://www.italycyberguide.com/History/popes/StVictor_I.JPG[/IMG]Pope Saint Victor 1[/QUOTE]
The other two: Pope Saint Gelasius [IMG]http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg2i.jpg[/IMG]
and Pope Saint Miltiades [IMG]http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintm0i.jpg[/IMG]
As was mentioned earlier, only an idiot thinks that any important historical figure born in Africa (or who's parents were born in Africa as per Miltiades) must be a negro. Doubtless these men were descendents of north African Carthaginians (ethnically Roman with maybe some Phoenician thrown in).
2004-06-11 03:51 | User Profile
Hi Feric, where fif you get those portraits from ? Good job in stating the obvious also. Note to Blond Knight - did you know the facts and only say what you did to be alarmist ? Your statement insinuated that there were Negro Popes in the Church, a total falsehood as you at least now know. Anyway, it wouldn't bother me if we had a Negro Pope at all. I find it even more abhorrent to think that just because someone is born White that they could be loved more by God just for that fact. Can you post a link or let us know where you got that Feric ?
2004-06-11 06:46 | User Profile
[QUOTE=FadeTheButcher]My World Politics professor is a Negro Catholic priest from Ghana.[/QUOTE]
English is the official language of Ghana. I guess if Boogawoogawooga was the official language of Ghana, that would be a setback for the prospects of an African-African to become a pope.
2004-06-11 09:50 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Blond Knight]Arinze also has his critics. Like the current pontiff, he is seen as doctrinally ultra-conservative, a staunch opponent of the ordination of women, the legitimizing of divorce, the use of birth control - all positions on which many US Catholics find themselves differing with the mother church.[/QUOTE]
Whenever I've heard the idea of a Black Pope being discussed, I've had nightmarish visions of a sort of "Snoop Dog" Pope, with pimps and "hoes" strolling the Vatican. Seriously. But if this Arinze fellow is a sincere and dignified old gentleman who just wants to hold the line against the perverts, Feminists and general riffraff, it might not be such a bad idea. We'd actually be able to benefit from Political Correctness, as people would be slow to criticize a Black Pope for any reason. However, it would be important for him to posses a certain requisite level of intelligence, in order to avoid being manipulated by his advisers (like a certain Mr. George W.). Not many full-blooded Negroes have that level of intelligence, sadly.
2004-06-11 16:18 | User Profile
Even better, the fact that the black man was the Pope would give us license to criticize a black without fear of the PC backlash.
Keep in mind that the only thing blacks dislike more than white conservatives are black ones.
[QUOTE=Kevin_O'Keeffe]Whenever I've heard the idea of a Black Pope being discussed, I've had nightmarish visions of a sort of "Snoop Dog" Pope, with pimps and "hoes" strolling the Vatican. Seriously. But if this Arinze fellow is a sincere and dignified old gentleman who just wants to hold the line against the perverts, Feminists and general riffraff, it might not be such a bad idea. We'd actually be able to benefit from Political Correctness, as people would be slow to criticize a Black Pope for any reason. However, it would be important for him to posses a certain requisite level of intelligence, in order to avoid being manipulated by his advisers (like a certain Mr. George W.). Not many full-blooded Negroes have that level of intelligence, sadly.[/QUOTE]