I think Afri-can

Hey, y'all, I'm a black Catholic!\nSo, I'll confess: While everyone in Sister Celine's fourth grade class talked about church revivals and first-Sunday oyster crackers, I was singing "Ave Maria", Latin and all, in my nine-year-old head.\nTo put things into perspective, the school I attended from kindergarten through eighth grade -- Blessed Sacrament Catholic School -- was a predominately black institution with less than 10 percent Catholic students, at best. \nNeedless to say, as a black Catholic, my religious affiliation made me feel a little bit like a rarity. The only other Catholics were the Polish and Irish teachers, holy sisters and priests who instructed us in classes.\nIt's only until folks have begun to discuss the possibilities of a black pope that I've learned the statistics. \nOf 65 million Catholics in the United States, I'm one of 2 million who are black. \nAnd in Africa, about 120 million folks practice the Catholic faith.\nIt's expected that the number of Catholics in Africa will eventually surpass the numbers in Europe.\nBut the question is will one of Africa's own ever become pope?\nAnd despite my recent assumptions that the issue is a Catholic one, am I right to think some black folks should actually care about who sits in the Vatican?\nI've come to the conclusion that the next conclave could very well vote a black pope into the papacy. \nAnd yes, I think people, black folks in particular, Catholic and non-Catholic, should, at least, get hip to the latest pope-related news. \nSome folks are calling Nigerian cardinal Francis Arinze a long-shot. \nConsider the headlines: "Africa Asks if Time Right for African Pope?" and "Africans want a black pope." The media seems to recognize the possibility of Arinze becoming pope as having its greatest impact on blacks in Africa.\nA black pope would influence the number of black folks who'd consider pursuing Roman Catholicism, first of all.\nMore importantly, a brown-skinned pope -- if he's truly fulfilling his role -- could have great impact on the quality of life for people of color in developing countries and beyond.\nIf Arinze visited his home in Nigeria, would the media attention that followed him shed more light on the AIDS pandemic there and in the rest of Africa?\nIn 2001, according to www.Nigeria-aids.org, 60,422 Nigerians lost their lives to AIDS. I welcome the possibility that an African pope could bring attention and action to an issue that all too often is recognized as merely an "African issue," despite the 37.8 million-plus AIDS cases worldwide, reported in 2003.\nIf it takes a black man in a big hat to gain the attention of the world, then I pray for Arinze's election.\nNobody agrees on exactly how much weight the papal position procures. \nBut even if the position is mainly symbolic, the election of a brown-skinned pope -- whether he is Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiage from Honduras or Claudio Hummes from Brazil -- the impact of a non-white pope from a developing country is immeasurable.\nMany of these candidates exude a certain international appeal, having hailed from a developing country where starvation and conflict between ethnic groups is a reality. \nCandidates have also had experiences with non-Catholic groups, which might better the Church's relations with other religious leaders and peoples. \nThe conclave, or papal electors, is overwhelmingly Eurocentric. And with only 11 African papal electors and 21 Latin American electors, chances of a brown-skinned pope are slim.\nBut as church leaders maintain, papal electors will base their decision on divine guidance. It's my hope that the divine message won't get lost in the worldly buzz.