A prominent traditional ruler in Delta State, Asagba Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON, has advocated the consideration of an African Cardinal as the next Head of the Catholic Church following Easter Monday’s death of Pope Francis, who was a Latin American.
Asagba Prof Azinge, who is the Asagba of Asaba, while leading the advocacy, maintained that the time was ripe for Africa to produce the next Pope, as there were some well – positioned Cardinals to be considered, including Peter Turkson from Ghana, Robert Sarah from Guinea and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He said the late Pope Francis championed inclusivity in the Church and the time had come to practicalize it by giving Africa a chance.
The Asagba added that Africa presently appeared to be the bedrock of Catholicism and by extension Christianity the world over and needed the momentum and impetus to lead the Church in the right direction.
The Knight of Saint John (KSJ) and Knight of Saint Gregory the Great (KSG) said while the Church looked up to God for guidance in the selection process, the factors of inclusivity and participation must count in favour of Africa, describing the continent as the future of the Church.
On the profile of the top African Cardinals, Asagba Prof Azinge pointed out that Peter Turkson, 76, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Coast, is one of the Church’s most influential Cardinals and Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
He added that Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, is the only Cardinal from Africa on late Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, who, as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, (SECAM), signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions, while Cardinal Robert Sarah is known for defending the faith and promoting traditional values.
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