✍️Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu
With the passing of Pope Francis, conversations around who might emerge as the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church have surged across continents. In some circles, hopes are rising for an African Pope—possibly even from Nigeria. Yet, surprisingly, these hopes are sometimes met with the claim that no African has ever occupied the papal office. That claim, though frequently repeated, is historically unfounded.
The truth is: Africa has already given the papacy three Popes.
These were not mere figureheads, but substantial leaders who guided the Church through difficult transitions and theological challenges. Their contributions are indelible, and their African heritage is not a matter of speculation, but of record.
1. Pope St. Victor I (Pope from 189–199 AD)
Hailing from Leptis Magna in Roman North Africa (modern-day Libya or Tunisia), Victor was the first known African Pope. He strengthened the Church’s identity in a time of doctrinal disputes and introduced Latin into the liturgy—setting a precedent that would shape Catholic worship for centuries.
2. Pope St. Miltiades (Pope from 311–314 AD)
Also of African origin, Miltiades presided over the Church during the dramatic shift from persecution to imperial favor. His tenure saw the landmark Edict of Milan in 313 AD, which granted religious tolerance to Christians across the Roman Empire.
3. Pope St. Gelasius I (Pope from 492–496 AD)
Born in Rome to African parents, Gelasius is widely regarded as one of the most theologically impactful Popes of the early Church. His writings on the authority of Church and State helped shape centuries of political and religious thought in the West.
These three African Popes served not during a token age of diversity, but at the heart of the Church’s formative centuries. Their heritage underscores the intellectual and spiritual vitality that African regions once contributed to global Christianity—particularly North Africa, home also to theological giants like Augustine of Hippo and Tertullian.
One must also commend the Roman Catholic Church for the admirable orderliness with which it transitions papal leadership. In a world often marred by political instability and succession crises, the Church’s seamless handover—from death or resignation to conclave, prayerful deliberation, and the white smoke—remains an inspiring model of institutional maturity and reverence. It is a ritual not just of governance but of grace, where unity prevails over division, and sacred continuity over self-interest.
Yet, it would be misguided to reduce the election of a Pope to a matter of ethnic pride or continental representation. The deeper issue isn’t where the next Pope should come from, but who can lead with wisdom, conviction, and grace in an age of immense moral confusion and declining religious consciousness—especially among the youth.
Indeed, in moments like this, the words of the Apostle Peter come resoundingly alive:
“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.’”
— Acts 10:34–35 (NIV)
The Catholic Church is a global institution, and its leadership must transcend the limits of identity politics. What the world needs now is not an African Pope, European Pope, or Latin American Pope, but a good Pope—one capable of speaking truth in love, confronting error with compassion, and renewing the spiritual fire of a generation that has grown cold.
Whether or not history repeats itself in our time, let it not be said that Africa was ever absent at the table of leadership.
_Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu
April 23, 2025
