Kellogg Faculty Fellow Father Paulinus Odozor was recently featured in the article “Will the next pope be from Africa” by the BBC.
As it comes time for the selection of the next pope, many have asserted that he may hail from Africa. If the decision was based on where the Catholic Church is growing fastest, or the pick was made to best reflect the make-up of the global congregation, many indicators point towards an African successor.
Many believe this would be a step in the right direction for global catholicism, but some African Catholics, like Fr. Odozor, do not like this emphasis on origin. Fr. Odozor argues that where the pope hails from does not matter because, “as soon as you are elected, everybody’s issues become your issue. You have one concern, to build up the body of Christ, no matter where the people are, no matter how many they are, in whatever context they are.”
Fr. Odozor is a professor of theology and Africana Studies with scholarly interests in foundational issues in moral theology and Christian ethics.