Affirmative Action Pope?
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.