Cardinal Peter Turkson is the leading contender to be Pope Francis’ successor. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88.
The Pope’s funeral will be held on Saturday in a service attended by the Prince of Wales and other world and religious leaders.
Among the potential candidates to succeed Pope Francis is Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Ghana.
In 2010, Turkson reportedly said, “I wouldn’t want to be that first black pope. I think he’ll have a rough time.”
But times have changed since 2010.
Now, after the death of Pope Francis, the west African clergyman’s name tops the list of contenders to succeed him.
Turkson isn’t the only potential African candidate as the Catholic Church prepares to choose its next leader.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, a former Vatican official from Guinea, is also a leading candidate. His name was trending on X (Twitter) this week.
Robert Sarah was a vocal critic of Pope Francis. He opposed same-sex marriage, and his conservative views caused division in the church.
If elected, Sarah would make history as the first African Pope in 1,500 years. He would also be among the oldest. He will turn 80 in June.
One person wrote on X (Twitter): “The next Pope will be Black. Cardinal Robert Sarah is a strong candidate.”
Another user wrote, “Cardinal Robert Sarah, Our hope.”
A third person wrote, “The Church’s redemption and salvation has a name. Cardinal Robert Sarah.”
Someone else wrote, “Robert Sarah gets my vote for Pope. Not that I have one! He is a Christian conservative who thinks gender ideology is a threat to society and has denounced Islamic fundamentalism. Apparently the liberals dislike him for both these matters.”
