How to talk about the papal conclave in a way that won't annoy Catholics.
Basic facts about the pope's role in the Catholic Church and the papal conclave process.
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"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
Why is the pope important? Catholics believe that Jesus appointed St. Peter the head of the Catholic Church and thus gave him the authority to make decisions in order to preserve its sanctity and purity. There has been an unbroken succession of popes since Peter and Catholics believe that each pope has been Jesus Christ's representative on earth. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "the pope enjoys, by divine institution, 'supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls" (CCC 937).
Is the pope divine? Do Catholics worship the pope? No and absolutely not. Catholics worship one God and one God alone; they definitely don't worship idols or a mere mortal like the pope. As Cardinal Dolan of New York explains on his blog, the pope "is the Successor of St. Peter, whom we believe Jesus appointed earthly pastor of His Church. And anyone familiar with St. Peter, as shown in the New Testament, knows that he was far from divine! In fact, our first Pope was a big sinner. He denied even knowing Jesus at the very time the Lord needed his friend Peter the most."
Who elects the pope? Those members of the College of Cardinals who were under the age of 80 on the day the Pope died or resigned, known as cardinal-electors. There are currently 207 cardinals. 90 cardinals are not eligible to vote due to age and 2 cardinal-electors chose not to attend the conclave. Thus 115 cardinal-electors will choose the next pope. Papal candidates are referred to as papabile.
The "First African Pope" won't be elected at this conclave.
Via: facebook.com
There have been three African popes in the history of the Catholic Church: Pope St. Victor I (188-199), Pope St. Miltiades (311-314), and Pope St. Gelasius I (492-496) were all born in the Roman province of Africa. Although the ancestry of these three men is unknown, there is evidence to suggest that they were not of Roman descent (meaning that they were dark-skinned). These church leaders played crucial roles in the early development of Christianity. For example, Pope Victor I set the liturgical date for Easter and made Latin the official language of the Church.
This doesn't mean that the election of the first African pope in recent history wouldn't be a newsworthy and significant moment for the Catholic Church. However, it would be disingenuous and just plain wrong to view such an event as the first time Africa and Africans have been "important" to the Church.
