1. Epistemological Foundations: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?

Epistemology asks: How do we know what we claim to know? In this case, the question becomes: What makes one eligible to be Pope—and what assumptions limit that knowledge?

What we know:

The only formal requirement to become Pope is to be a baptized male Catholic. While custom prefers cardinals, it is not canon law. Race is not a condition—either as qualification or limitation.

What we assume:

That Popes must come from Europe or Latin cultures. But this is a social construct, not a divine ordinance. If the Church is “Catholic” (universal), then her leadership must eventually reflect that universality.

What we forget:

That Pope Victor I (189–199 A.D.), one of the early Popes, was from North Africa—possibly of Berber or Sub-Saharan origin. This is not theory—it is history.

So epistemologically, the limitation of Papal possibility to non-Black candidates is not knowledge, but prejudice masquerading as tradition.

2. Theological Grounding: What Does the Church Teach?

Imago Dei (Image of God): All human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The soul has no skin color. Leadership in the Church is based on vocation, not pigmentation.

Universal Call to Holiness and Apostolic Succession:

The Pope is successor to Peter—not successor to Rome or whiteness. Holiness, orthodoxy, and servant leadership are what matter—not the continent of one’s birth.

Pentecost Theology:

On Pentecost, the Spirit fell on people of every nation, tongue, and tribe (Acts 2:5–11). The Church was born multiethnic and multilingual. The papacy should reflect this Pentecostal DNA.

3. Liturgical Reality: Is Catholic Worship “White”?

Not at all. The liturgy, while struct red in Rome, is inculturated globally. African Catholics sing the Gloria in Luganda, Swahili, Yoruba. African priests celebrate with drums, ululations, and joyful procession—elements that express theological truths in local genius. A Black Pope would not dilute the liturgy—he would deepen its global relevance.

4. Theoretical Possibility vs. Practical Politics

Theoretically: Yes. There is nothing in Canon Law or divine law that prevents an African—Black in skin, bold in faith—from becoming Pope.

Practically:

There are cultural hesitations, geopolitical biases, and internal curial politics that may delay such a move. But what is practical today was impossible yesterday: A Polish Pope (John Paul II)? Unthinkable in 1950s. A Latin American Pope (Francis)? Unlikely before 2000s.

A Black African Pope? Unlikely now—but inevitable if justice and Spirit prevail.

5. Rhetorical Reflection: Is the World Ready?

The more pressing question is not whether the Church is ready for a Black Pope, But rather: Is the world ready for the Church to show what Heaven looks like? Would it not be prophetic if, in a world still divided by race and empire, the Church elects a Pope who, by his skin alone, testifies that the Body of Christ has no colour line?

Conclusion:

To reject the possibility of a Black Pope is not to defend theology—it is to betray it. The Church must be the one place where history’s wounds are healed by the power of heaven’s logic. As St. Augustine of Hippo—himself a North African bishop—once said: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

It is time the Chair of Peter opened its arms to Africa—Not out of tokenism, But because the Holy Spirit blows where He wills, And He is blowing from the South.

By Isaac Christopher Lubogo

President of Optimistic International Uganda Chapter, CEO of Suigeneris Legal Legacy Incorporated with LLB, LLM, and LLD fellow.

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