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.
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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.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
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.”
Black women are turning their backs on former ESPN host Shannon Sharpe after a 22-year-old woman sued him for sexual assault.
The woman filed a $50 million lawsuit in Nevada, claiming he raped her multiple times, physically abused her, and threatened to kill her.
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In a shocking text message to Shannon in January, the woman wrote “no means no Shannon”. “But I cried when u left because I begged you to put a condom on and not put it in my a*s, and u didn’t listen,” the woman said.
“I don’t care what our history is, no means no shannon,” she texted.
Shannon, 56, responded “Can I call you later?”
Former NBA player Jalen Rose’s daughter Mariah Rose called Shannon “a weirdo.”
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The 24-year-old host of the “Hoops 4 Hotties” podcast tweeted on X: “Whether or not Shannon Sharpe is found guilty or not in the court of law, he’s a weirdo. These could all be a cash shakedown or whatever, I don’t care. That man is in his 50s, messing with a 19-year-old. Shannon Sharpe has daughters that are in their 30s…”
In her lawsuit, Jane Doe claimed she met Shannon when she was 19 and he was 54.
After the lawsuit came to light on Monday, April 21, Shannon vigorously denied the allegations. He called the lawsuit “a shakedown” and he vowed to “be open, transparent and defend myself because this isn’t right.”
However, Shannon’s attorney said the woman turned down a $10 million offer to settle the lawsuit.
Shannon appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday and Tuesday with co-host Stephen A. Smith, but the former Denver Broncos tight end was absent on Wednesday’s episode.
Stephen hinted that ESPN bosses plan to fire Shannon. The NFL Hall of Famer was previously let go from CBS Sports after a woman made similar allegations against him.
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Black women everywhere rejected Shannon’s denials. Women on TikTok urged others not to support Shannon. They noted that Shannon talked Black while giving his money to white women.
“Oh no Shannon Shay Shay Joe-Netta Sharp! Don’t come over here bothering the Black people now! You was over there playing in snow like you couldn’t get pneumonia,” one TikToker said.
TikTok user @themuthaof3 said, “Sistas, this not our fight. Absolutely not.” She wished him luck in his future endeavors.
Another TikTok creator said: “You cannot convince me that Shannon Sharpe doesn’t let those non-Black women call him the N-word for fun. Because what do you mean, that you, Shannon Sharpe allowed a non-Black woman to say, ‘I want you to put a big Black baby in me?’ And you continued to engage with her?! The conversation, the relationship should have ended right there because, what do you mean?”
Another woman captioned a video: “Pov: Blk Women minding our business regarding Shannon Sharpe Snow bunny case” with a laughing emoji.
Club Shay Shay
Others on Black Twitter noted how comedienne Mo’Nique tried to warn Shannon about messing around with younger women on his “Club Shay Shay” podcast back in October 2023.
Mo’Nique told Shannon: “You betta take yo old ass and get somebody to love you! … He need him an old fat gal who can bake good cakes, make some smothered turkey wings, who gone rub his feet at the night time and have a sip of his cognac to make him feel better about himself when he come home at night.”
Mo’ told him that he doesn’t need “no 26-year-old girl, you don’t need no 36-year-old girl.”
Sean Kingston was recently released from the Miami Federal Detention Center following his arrest for failure to pay his $100,000 bond.
Sean was released from a Miami jail after a relative put up properties to secure his bond. More on that later.
Internet sleuths have uncovered some shenanigans with Sean’s bond paperwork. Sean apparently listed former NFL star Antonio Brown’s home as his “workplace” on his bond paperwork.
According to the court documents, Sean is on house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor. He is allowed to leave his house to travel to and from the Southern District of Florida (SDFL) courthouse for hearings.
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The singer is also permitted to leave his home to travel for work at a location listed on the court paperwork as his workplace. That location matches the home address of Antonio’s $9 million, 18,000 sq. ft. mansion in Hollywood, Florida.
But wait, there’s more!
Remember I told you that a “relative” put up their properties to secure Sean’s bond? Well, it appears that the relative isn’t actually related to Sean by blood.
The woman who bonded Sean out of jail signed the affidavit as his “cousin” named “Rick Appling.” I won’t name the woman, but her name is spelled very similar to Rick Appling.
The woman is known to the court system in Pennsylvania. She’s an attorney and a mediator. Her properties are located in Pennsylvania.
My source believes the woman who bonded Sean out of jail signed her name as Sean’s male “cousin” Rick Appling on the notarized affidavit.
Additionally, the notary who witnessed the woman’s signature didn’t require identification because they checked off “Affiant is personally known to me.”
If “Rick Appling” is personally known to the notary, why didn’t she sign her real name on the bail form?
Rapper Boosie BadAzz was overcome with emotion after meeting his 9th child for the first time. The 42-year-old rapper cried tears of joy when he welcomed a baby girl named Sevyn with longtime partner Rajel Nelson.
“Man, I’m a daddy again man,” he said in a video from the delivery room. “Man, my daughter so beautiful. I got a baby, dawg. Man, I can’t stop crying. Man, my daughter here.”
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In addition to Sevyn, Boosie is proud father to Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., Lyric Beyonce, Ivy Hatch, Toriana, Iviona, Michael Jordan, Tarlaysia, and Laira Jean.
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In another video, Boosie is seen rushing to the barbershop to get a Boosie fade haircut before his daughter arrived.
“I gotta get me a haircut right quick,” he said. “I gotta be looking good when my little girl see me!”
Boosie had hoped for another son. But he isn’t complaining. The father-of-9 said he will drop another baby in Rajel soon.
“Yeah, I wanted a boy. But I ain’t tripping; I’m putting another one in her right after that,” he said. “Other people wait six weeks; I don’t wait six days. I ain’t waiting six days. I’m gone get that boy.”
Boosie is best known for his 2007 hit single “Wipe Me Down” ft. Foxx and Webbie and his 2009 album Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz.
Boosie gets emotional meeting his newborn daughter for the first time, which is his 9th child ??? pic.twitter.com/DGdNuV3JD6
Kanye West slammed ex-wife Kim Kardashian for keeping their 9-year-old son Saint West away from him after the music producer made a shocking claim about a young cousin.
In a tweet posted on X on Sunday, Kanye wrote that he was releasing a song called “Cousin”, inspired by a relative who was jailed for life for “killing a pregnant lady”.
Kanye, 47, has previously said he had a male cousin who was jailed at age 17 for murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
Sharing a music video of the song on X, Kanye wrote: “This song is called COUSIN about my cousin that’s locked in jail for life for killing a pregnant lady a few years after I told him we wouldn’t ‘look at dirty magazines together’ anymore.”
“Perhaps in my self centered mess I felt it was my fault that I showed him those dirty magazines when he was 6 and then we acted out what we saw. My dad had playboy magazines but the magazines I found in the top of my moms closet were different,” he wrote.
“My name is Ye and I sucked my cousins d**k till I was 14,” he added.
Kanye’s fans and fellow rappers expressed support for Ye – until they did the math and realized Kanye was 12 when his cousin was only 6.
Kanye has accused his ex-wife Kim of keeping their son Saint away from him.
He took to X to make the allegation against Kim, despite the fact that father and son were pictured together in January (below).
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“I HAVENT SEEN SAINT THIS YEAR,” he wrote on X.
Kanye tweeted on Wednesday, “I’m speaking to 4 lawyers a day until I find a lawyer who will make sure my rights to my children are realized.”
That may be difficult now that Kanye has admitted to sodomizing his young male cousin.
The Mercury News via Getty Images
Kanye has previously accused Kim of not allowing him to see his children – although DailyMail.com can confirm that he did see Saint, Chicago and Psalm last week.
A family friend disputed Kanye’s claim. The friend wrote, “Kanye can see the kids anytime he wants, there are no limitations, but Kim is very careful also to not put them in situations that are chaotic. Protecting her kids are first and foremost.”
Insiders say ESPN is preparing to part ways with commentator Shannon Sharpe after new shock audio was released on Wednesday.
Sharpe’s “First Take” co-host, Stephen A. Smith said he spoke with their boss Jimmy Pitaro, who made it clear they were taking the allegations against Shannon “very seriously.”
Shannon, 56, was set to sign a $100 million deal with ESPN, but that deal appears to be off the table now.
The NFL Hall of Famer still has his popular “Club Shay Shay” podcast, but his time as a sports commentator is coming to an end, according to sources.
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A lawyer for Shannon Sharpe’s accuser sent new audio to TMZ in which you can hear the former Denver Broncos tight end threatening to choke the woman in public.
In the shocking audio of a phone call, the woman, identified as Jane Doe in court papers, asks Shannon if he’s coming to Los Angeles. He responds “yes.” But she tells him “I don’t know why you want to go out.”
“Don’t worry about it Gabbi,” he responded. Shannon previously said the woman’s name was Gabbi, or Karli on Only Fans.
“Well, okay,” she said. “Okay what?” Shannon asked.
“I’m not really interested in being choked, so I guess we’re going,” she said.
Shannon laughed, and said, “I might choke you in public.”
There is a long pause before Shannon says “Big Black guy chokes small White woman.”
“It’s not a good look, Shannon,” she told him. Shannon responded by calling her a “b*tch,” and accusing her of doing something to him.
The victim filed a lawsuit in Nevada on Sunday. She is seeking $50 million in punitive damages.
Shannon vigorously denied the allegations and threatened to file a countersuit for defamation.
However, Shannon’s attorney revealed he offered the victim $10 million to settle the lawsuit.
Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles is off the market nearly two years after she divorced actor Richard Lawson, whom she married in 2015.
Knowles, 71, is on a promotional tour for her new memoir, titled Matriarch.
“I am spending time with a friend,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s World’s Most Beautiful issue. She added that he’s a “very nice gentleman. We’ll see what happens.”
In her memoir, Knowles stopped short of saying what caused her divorce from Lawson.
Getty Images for Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love is also not a competition or mired in jealousy. I made the decision to divorce with a heavy heart but totally without malice, and I have not lost a night of sleep over it,” she wrote.
Tina became emotional when describing her decision to divorce Lawson. She told Tyler Perry that the marriage was not bringing out the best in her.
“I have finally found my worth and I know that I deserve to be happy, I know I deserve … for somebody to be happy when they see me and to celebrate me, and [the marriage to Lawson] is not doing it for me.”
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As for ex-husband Mathew Knowles, Tina writes in her memoir: “I was caught in this dance with him, each doing the same steps over and over: He would cheat or act up, and I would say I’d had enough. He would beg for forgiveness, crying and promising to get better… But this is what married people did, I told myself.”
She said it was difficult to leave Mathew after 31 years of marriage and 2 daughters. However, he fathered several children outside of their marriage, which made her decision easier.
#TinaKnowles is opening up about her marriage, and divorce, from #RichardLawson. ? Tina, 71, reflected where she recalls how supportive her friend #TylerPerry was when she made the difficult decision to leave her marriage to Lawson, 78. pic.twitter.com/hEcZWiWrgE
Sports journalist Jason Whitlock is not a fan of Ryan Coogler’s new movie “Sinners.” The movie, which is set in the 1930s, is about twin brothers who return to their hometown, only to discover that White vampires are waiting for them.
Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan, who pulls double duty playing twin brothers. Sinners also stars actress Hailee Steinfeld as one of the vampires.
The movie earned $60 million at the box office to become the biggest original movie in decades.
Jason captioned his movie review video: “‘Sinners’ has an explicit theme about white people being the ultimate evil. When I watched it at the theater last night, there was a big young crowd, and everybody seemed interested. This is what they are feeding young people. They are programming us to hate white people.”
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“This movie is not intended to scare you, in my opinion,” Jason said. “This movie has an explicit agenda-themed narrative and we’ve seen it over and over… They all beat the same drum; these evil White people and what they’ve done to Black people.”
He said the movie has no consistent storyline, because it’s intended to stoke racial emotions in Black people. Jason suggested that Hollywood has an agenda to program Black people to hate Whites.
“Sinners” has an explicit theme about white people being the ultimate evil. When I watched it at the theater last night, there was a big young crowd, and everybody seemed interested. This is what they are feeding young people. They are programming us to hate white people. pic.twitter.com/jMp08p81RT
Rapper Kevin Gates and his current girlfriend, Brittany Renner, attended Game 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs between the L.A. Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
After weeks of rumors, Kevin and Brittany finally went Instagram official. Kevin has said he appreciates Brittany’s modesty and submissive personality. But social media is buzzing over her approach to his cell phone.
A Pew research study shows 45% of Americans snoop through their partner’s phones – but not Brittany.
In a clip on Instagram, Kevin, 39, said Brittany never checks his phone for text messages from other women.
When asked why, Brittany shrugged and said, “I’m just minding my business. When you go looking for trouble, you’ll find it.”
That’s wise advice from the 33-year-old mom-of-one.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s faithful wife, Dreka Gates, is also submissive and obedient. She’s aware that her husband is cheating, but she’s willing to wait for him to return home. “That’s my best friend,” Dreka said in a recent interview.
Dreka Gates SPEAKS on her RELATIONSHIP STATUS with Kevin Gates… She says she’s rocking with him REGARDLESS of the Brittany Renner situation, and they’re just working on themselves ?? pic.twitter.com/Y4pFpX1Azg
The sight of Kevin sitting at courtside at a Lakers game prompted rampant speculation online that LeBron James, 40, would confront him for criticizing his wife, Savannah James, 38.
Why didn’t LeBron do Gates like he did Stephen A. Smith? @stephenasmith
On April 19, Kevin said “I don’t like the way Savannah look at LeBron. I like the way them white women look at LeBron. As soon as he walks out there, they just be like, ‘Oh, oh, oh.’ They be d-cked out.”
LeBron responded to the diss by posting a couples goals photo and captioning the image: “Kings don’t concern themselves with the opinions of peasants. Where to next Queen?!?! Let’s get it!”
In his comeback reply, Kevin said he loved LeBron, and he only cares that a Black man is being celebrated.
“And ‘Bron, I love you, ’cause you my n***a…. But anyway, look, long as you being celebrated, I don’t care who don’t like me. Long as you being celebrated, that’s all I care about. ‘Cause you my n***a and I love you,” Kevin said in a video.
Comedienne and actress Mo’Nique tried to warn Shannon Sharpe about dating much younger women at his mature age.
A 20-year-old woman is suing Shannon for $50 million and accusing him of raping her multiple times.
Attorney Tony Buzbee filed a lawsuit in Nevada on behalf of his client who is identified as “Jane Doe” in the paperwork. Doe claims she was only 19 when she met Shannon who was 55 at the time.
In a resurfaced video clip of Mo’Nique’s appearance on Shannon’s podcast, Club Shay Shay, Mo warned Shannon to stay away from younger women.
Shannon tried to argue that the dating scene “is different now,” but Mo’Nique cut him off.
FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
“I’m grateful I’m not 56 and trying,” said Mo, 57, who is happily married to Sidney Hicks since 2006.
“What are you trying to say, Mo’Nique?” Shannon asked her.
“I’m looking right at you! I ain’t backing down,” Mo’Nique responded. “You’d better take your old a*s and get somebody to love you… You’re trying to hang out with these young b*tches… You can’t do it Shannon!”
In a video statement on Tuesday, Shannon warned his fans that attorney Tony Buzbee will release a 30-second, “edited” sex tape that shows him with his accuser.
Shannon urged Buzbee to release the entire 10-minute sex tape, which he claims happened during the day at Doe’s invitation. He said his encounter with “Gabby, also known as Karlye on OnlyFans,” now appears to be a “deliberate setup.”
Shannon added that he plans to file a counter lawsuit against Gabby for extortion.
Deshaun Watson wants a word with you right now. He's confused bc when Tony Buzbee was involved with the allegations he faced, you never defended his honor or said Tony Buzbee targets black men.
— nittygrittysportstalk (@nittygritty410) April 22, 2025
