Posted on 03/11/2016 6:13:08 AM PST by marshmallow
The cardinal from a remote African village has become a standard bearer for Catholic orthodoxy in a Church where many things now seem uncertain
It is often said that once a new pope has emerged on to the loggia of St Peter's, the cardinals' thoughts turn almost immediately to the question of his successor. Pope Francis, although about to turn 80 at the end of this year, does not seem ready to run out of steam. Despite having part of a lung missing, he seems undiminished by a daunting schedule, which in fact he seems to relish. This, along with his obvious pleasure in his role, means that it is difficult to take quite seriously his own speculation that his papacy will be a short one. Nonetheless, nobody should be surprised that there is already much speculation about the identity of his successor.
Among the names being talked about is that of one cardinal elevated to the Sacred College by Benedict XVI, who is increasingly admired by those who wish to consolidate the legacy of the Pope Emeritus.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, relatively little known before the election of Pope Francis, has shown himself since as a key player in Rome. His name - pronounced Sar-AH and not like the English given name - reveals the French linguistic and cultural heritage which this son of the West African savannah imbibed at an early age from the Holy Ghost missionaries. Cardinal Sarah, a second-generation Christian, is a man who combines an authentic claim to come from the ecclesiastical margins so beloved of Pope Francis with a deep grasp of the cultural and theological patrimony which the old continent disseminated along with its political and economic hegemony.
We get a fascinating insight into both of these strains in his personality through his book-length interview.....
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicherald.co.uk ...
Affirmative Action Pope?
Like the Irish in the dark ages, the African Churches may be the ones to re evangelize a pagan world.
Yes, in the sense that the papacy of Francis shows the desperate need for a Catholic pope and Robert Cardinal Sarah would be a fine example of a Catholic pope. This is that rare instance of justifiable affirmative action and it has everything to do with his mind and soul and nothing to do with his race. As an African papabile, he seems to succeed Nigeria’s Francis Cardinal Arinze. Since Africa is undergoing explosive growth in conversions to Catholicism and seems to be a quite morally conservative sector of the Church, it is understandable that outstanding African prelates of conservative commitments be considered papabile.
Although Pope Francis has said a year ago that his time as Pope will be a “short one.”
Both the African and Asian Churches.
I don’t know of anything that isn’t positive about Cdl. Sarah, but the headline, “Unstoppable Rise,” is purely political language. If he is a true man of God, he would say himself that he doesn’t want to “rise” to anything but a closer relationship to God.
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