Ramblings' Journal

Columnist whines because Arinze not elected "black pope"

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell has penned a whining column that is more worthy of a two year-old than someone you would expect to read in a major newspaper.

One of my girlfriends is a Nigerian-born immigrant and a devout Roman Catholic. I noticed she didn't say a word during the days leading up to the conclave. She seemed to have been resigned to the idea that the world isn't ready for a black pope.

...it's pretty clear, at least to this Baptist, that the Holy Spirit didn't get the final word.

All this whining is due to the fact that the Vatican Conclave, convened to elect a new Pope to replace the late Pope John Paul II, elected German Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of St. Peter, not Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze.

Mitchell -- an admitted Baptist, not a Catholic -- seems to be of the opinion that she knows better than the more than 100 Cardinals who were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for four separate votes for the new Pontiff. Mitchell points to an Agence France-Presse article among other places to support her not-so-veiled cry of racism.

Among those speculating on who would be the next pope was a 10-year-old girl named Francesca Colonna, attending mass with her mother and father.

"At school, they said that if a black pope is elected, the sun will crash on Earth, and it will be the end of the world," the girl told the reporter.

And a German priest noted that it "would be hard for Europeans to accept a non-European pope."

Even Arinze had said in interviews that the world "wasn't ready for a black pope."

Mitchell then points to the suggestions for another non-Catholic, South African Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu, and his call for Arinze's election.

Notice that we aren't hearing these cries from the Hispanic community. The Catholic Church is growing by leaps and bounds in Latin America, and there were several papal candidates from South of the Border. We only hear the whining from people like Mitchell.

I guess in her eyes, the Catholic Church doesn't know what it needs for itself, or what it's own members want. After all, it's more politically correct to do what she says, right?

For the record, I was rooting for Cardinal Arinze - I felt that he was the most qualified person for the job, with then-Cardinal Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI - a close second. I'm simply glad that the Conclave was able to come to a concensus quickly, for who they felt was the best person for the job. I wish Pope Benedict well, and hope that he can both bring glory and honor to God, along with serving his flock in his larger role as shepherd of a significant part of God's flock.

Posted by mhking at April 21, 2005 02:40 PM