AFRICA. If all goes well, Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson might become the next Pope, the first from the African continent in modern history.
Cardinal Turkson 76, is the former head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
If Cardinal Turkson is chosen, another African cardinal who stands a chance is Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa. Both are committed conservatives who have been vocal advocates for peace in their respective countries.
Another solid contender is Philippine Cardinal Luis Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila. Like Pope Francis, Tagle accentuates social justice and caring for the underprivileged.
Other contenders are; Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state. Cardinal Erdo is largely viewed as a leading conservative candidate .
The archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Erdo, is a traditionalist who has supported outreach to Orthodox Christians, stressing the “desperate need” for unity between competing churches.
Analysts say Cardinal Parolin also has higher chances of taking the global coveted office since he is well known by all cardinals.
Another contender is Italy’s Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, and Malta’s Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, a position that kept him so close to Pope Francis.
Pope Francis ,88 died Monday morning died just days after he was discharged from hospital where he was undergoing treatment for a multifaceted respiratory infection.
How the next pope will be selected
Cardinals below the age of 80 take part in chosing the next pope –an exercise that takes place in what is known as the papal conclave .
A total of 120 cardinals usually participate in the exercise, but there are currently 138 cardinals who are eligible to vote out of the 240 worldwide . Voting is done through secret ballot, and the exercise is superintended by nine cardinals who are randomly selected .
A two-thirds majority is traditionally required to choose the next pontiff, and voting continues until this threshold is met.
After each round, the ballots are scorched with chemicals, producing either black or white smoke, signalling to the world about the outcome.
Black smoke signals that no decision has been made, while white smoke means a new pope has been picked. Once the pope is voted, a top cardinal announces his name from Saint Peter’s Basilica. This entire process is expected to start in two or three weeks from now .
Available Church records show that there were potentially three black popes in the Catholic history . Pope Victor I ,who led the Church from 189-199 ,Pope Miltiades (311-314) ,and Pope Gelasius I ,who was pope from 492 to 496.
The trio has been declared saints .Interestingly, the reigns of the three African popes were short compared to those of contemporary pontiffs –simply because life expectancy was shorter then.