Culture
An African pope would be inspirational; Here are Peoples’ Views About Next Pope
Cardinals from 71 different nationalities are gathering later this week to vote for the new pope in the Sistine Chapel following the death of Pope Francis.
Many people from those countries worship in the pews of Roman Catholic churches in the north-west of England, the region outside of London with the greatest number of Catholic residents.
So how are they are feeling about the forthcoming selection and are they looking for someone from their own nation to become the next pope?
We are patriotic people.
Akwasi Attua, 46, from Ghana, has high hopes the conclave might choose someone like Vatican-based Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, one of the men mentioned as a possible first African pope of the modern era.
The Salford-based IT Manager, who is a stalwart of the city’s Catholic cathedral parish and has lived in the UK for 36 years, said: “Ghanaians are very patriotic people, proud of any achievements of our fellow nationals around the world.
“We have a strong Christian population, and our Catholic members would love to see Cardinal Turkson as Pope.
“I think the idea of an African pope would be inspirational for all Catholics, and many non-Catholic Africans around the world.”
‘Nationality is not important’
Fellow west African Father Solomon Shamee, 41, is less sure of the need for an African pontiff.
Father Shamee, 40, who came to the UK in 2021 to be chaplain to the Manchester Nigerian chaplaincy and coordinator of refugee charity, Revive, said: “I don’t think a Nigerian pope is realistic.”
Now working in Chester, where his religious order the Holy Ghost Fathers, have their headquarters, he added: “I don’t feel we should be talking about the next Pope on the grounds of race and nationality.
“We should just pray for a pope that would guide the Church as Jesus desires.”
The conclave, which traditionally starts after a two-week mourning period, sees the College of Cardinals gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday to cast a series of votes to choose the next pope.
Theoretically, any baptised man can be elected as pope, but a cardinal is usually picked.
‘As long as he is a good man’
The election of the Polish Pope John Paul II in 1978 broke a run of 455 years of Italian popes followed by German and Italian-Argentinian successors.
So are Italians in the North West hoping the cardinals will revert to one with Italian heritage?
Lorraine Taurasi, 75, President of The Manchester Italian Association, said: “There are several Italian cardinals but we don’t mind what nationality the pope is.
“As long as he is a good man like Pope Francis.”
Ms Taurasi is in charge of the Italian community’s annual procession with a statue of the Virgin Mary from Little Italy in Ancoats to Manchester Town Hall.
She said: “Whoever [the new pope] is he would be very welcome to join us on our next procession through Manchester in July.”
‘We are all children of God’
Like Italy, Spain has several papabile cardinals- the unofficial term for eligible cardinals coined by Vatican journalists.
But for Spanish ex-pat Eva Ripoll Breau, 53, the next pope’s nationality is not an issue.
“Let’s face it we are all the same children of God when it comes to sharing faith and love, which does not rely on language and words alone but peace and kindness,” she said.
Ms Ripoll Breau, who has lived in the UK for 30 years, added: ” I am confident that once again, irrespective of his origin, the choice will be the right one to be our shepherd.”
Ms Ripoll Breau, who runs a retirement home for priests in Blackpool, Lancashire, regularly visits family in her homeland and said people back home would have a “great pride” though if the next pope did end up being Spanish.
A Filipino pope would be a great honour.
Three Filipino cardinals will vote in the forthcoming conclave with the best known being Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle who has been nicknamed the “Pope Francis of the Philippines”.
Manchester-based Sue Wood, 74, who moved to the UK from her native Philippines 43 years ago, said it would be a “great honour” for her fellow Filipinos if any of the three were elected.
The retired BT employee is an admirer of Cardinal Tagle, 67, who is now Vatican-based, but she cautioned: “I like Cardinal Tagle but I think he might still be a bit too young.”
********adopted from BBC************
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