US EditionFrom Africa to Asia, the papal race reflects a changing Catholic Church
- On May 7, a group of 133 Catholic cardinals will gather in Rome’s Sistine Chapel to choose the next pope, as the Church’s shifting demographics emphasize the growing influence of the global south.
- This conclave follows a long history in which Catholicism spread from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa, with early African popes shaping church doctrine.
- While Europe holds the largest voting bloc, its cardinal representation has declined from nearly 70% in 1963 to 39% in 2025, as Africa and Asia increase their influence.
- Africa's Catholic population surged to 281 million in 2023 and is expected to hold nearly a third of the world's Catholics by 2050, highlighting its growing role in the church.
- If the next pope is African, Asian or Latin American, it would mark a historic shift reflecting the church's global balance and challenges like secularisation and climate crises.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Is it time for a Pope from Africa or Asia?
Catholicism did not begin as a “white” faith. Born on the eastern rim of the Mediterranean, it spread through the trading routes and legions of the Roman Empire into Africa, Asia and, only later, what we now call Europe.Three early bishops of Rome: Victor I (c. 189–199), Miltiades (311–314) and Gelasius I (492–496), were Africans...
Local 3 News
Manuel Sánchez: "The next pope should look to Africa and Asia."
(CNN Radio Argentina) – Manuel Sánchez, a Vatican expert from Rome, spoke this Wednesday with Regreso CNN, the program hosted by Mariana Arias and Pepe Gil Vidal, about the upcoming election of Pope Francis's successor. With…
From Africa to Asia, the papal race reflects a changing Catholic Church
VATICAN CITY — Faith tells them the decision is made from Heaven and passed on to the cardinals in the silence of the Sistine Chapel. But there are human characteristics the electors are considering as they cast ballots for the man who will lead the Catholic Church in changing times. “The conclave is almost like a retreat so I'll kind of look forward to it,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, said. Cardinal Dolan knows what to expec…
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