Rome: The prospect of an African as the next Pope became more realistic on April 4 after a powerful cardinal said that it would be a “wonderful sign for all Chrstianity, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, said an African papaсу would “only be to the Church’s benefit”. Cardinal Ratiziger (74), is viewed as a possible king-maker in the conclave that will eventually choose the Pope’s successor. The Bavarian-born prefect of the Cogregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told the German newspaper Die Welt that the Church’s African leaders had all the qualities required for the papacy. “They are absolutely up to the level of such a position”, he said. As a result, it was entirely plausible that the ‘next Pope may come from there”. Yet Cardinal Ratzinger acknowledged that racism could prevent an African succession and that there were still “great misgivings in the West about the Third World”. The Cardinal is possibly the most powerful figure in the College of Cardinals. His conservative politics go well with those of most of his African colleagues. (Hindu, April 5, 2002)
