The election of an African pope would be beneficial in general to the afflicted populations of the continent—provided that the pope elected made a clear call as to the need for those participating in promiscuous intercourse out of wedlock. As it turns out Cardinal Turkson has made a statement against the use of condoms, but only due to storage ruin and defects, and apparently has made some statements saying that the use of condoms was advisable for married couples where one spouse was infected. Insofar as practicality is concerned, this is a no-brainer, but in the slow to change and traditionally stubborn world of organized religion (not just Catholicism) this perspective is both progressive and “wildly” liberal. It is more than reasonable to say that the Catholic Church needs a bold new pope for this bold new world—that’s my outsiders perspective.
In the end, the smoke is going to rise from the Vatican and the decision will be made, a new Pope will take the church into a wildly different a new age. Perhaps Benedict XVI didn’t consider himself to be the man to take on these times…I have no doubt that hat is as heavy as it looks on both the body and the soul. The question is, when the next man steps into the role will the Cardinals choose someone willing to make impacting and willful changes for the good of people rather than the upholding of dogmatic rules, as John Paul II was known to? This new Pope will have a new World, one so unlike and yet so like the world of scripture. A world new in the particular troubles and decisions that will have to be made and the same in the readiness of human hearts to be led and shepherded to a mighty message of redemption, salvation, and ultimately kindness; a message so many men of cloth and faiths fail to deliver on a matter of specifics. The papacy may have lost some of its brawn over the years, but the Catholic Pope still holds quite a lot of sway in places where the most devout tend to lay, the circumstances of poverty, pestilence, and dedication where the hope and spirit of religion can provide the most soulful comfort. In the end, the color of the new Pope’s skin will matter far less than the color of his spots—which will show in the ways he chooses to serve those in most need of spiritual uplifting.
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Timothy Dolan, just saying.