Of the 57 non-Italian successors to the Apostle Peter, only 12, or 5% of the total number of 264 popes, have been non -Europeans. Of the few non-Europeans serving as pope, almost all lived during the first several centuries of the Church’s history. For example, the three North African popes in the Church’s history all served before 500 AD. Asia (except for the Middle East), North America, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa have yet to contribute a single pope, despite the Church sending numerous missionaries to these areas since at least the 16th century.

The time has come for the College of Cardinals to alter these trends and elect a pope from the Third World. For a variety of reasons, based on demographics, progressivism, practicality, and theology, doing so makes considerable sense and would go a long ways towards strengthening the Catholic Church.

Demographically, it is becoming ever clearer that the heart of the Church is no longer Italy or Europe. Today, the developed world accounts for only an estimated 34% of Catholics worldwide, as opposed to Latin America’s 46%. By 2025, which could come during the next pope’s pontificate if John Paul II’s 26-year reign is any indication, the percentage of third world Catholics will top 75%. An additional sign of the ebbing of European Catholicism is the dismal attendance of weekly Mass, estimated at 15% in Italy and 5% in France, in marked contrast with the packed parishes of Asia and Africa. A crisis in vocations in the developed world has generated a massive need for priests, which third world missionaries have somewhat alleviated - it is estimated that one-sixth of Catholic priests in the US have come from abroad. In short, Catholicism is weakening in the developed world, and the Church would do better to look forward towards best serving its communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia than backwards in a likely futile effort to reverse the damage wrought by materialism. Additionally, it is possible that a non-European pope would be better able to turn European Catholicism around; in any case, he could not do any worse than the European popes of the 20th century.

A third world pope would be an important step towards modernity in other ways as well. As the Church comes under attack from some quarters for its conservatism, eliminating the hidebound and baseless tradition that the leader of the Church need come from within a specific geographical area would signal renewed attention for the progressive ideals espoused at the Second Vatican Council. Two thousand year-old institutions need to be shaken up periodically if they are to endure; just as the election of Karol Wojtyla proved a sound move in 1978, so too would the election of a third world bishop in 2005.

On the practical level, a pope from the third world would have a far better grasp of the issues affecting the majority of Catholics than one from the developed world. A bishop who has risen through the ranks in an underdeveloped country would have novel takes on poverty, underdevelopment, international relations, and the other major world religions that a candidate from the developed world would not possess. Fresh ideas would allow the Church to better fulfill its mission of service to the needy. And while it is unrealistic to expect significant changes of doctrine during the next papacy, new theologies as well as practical directives would inevitably result from opening the door to the third world. John Paul II chose to focus on many European issues during his papacy, such as communism and materialism, but now priorities need to be reevaluated with an eye towards the needs of developing nations. In short, a Church for, and increasingly comprised of, the poor needs a pope who intimately understands poverty.

Theologically, a third world pope makes perfect sense, providing a concrete enshrinement of the Christian principles of justice, equality, and universality. For example, is the endemic Eurocentrism of the Roman Curia fair? Is it right that 35% of the College of Cardinals are Italians, while Italy only accounts for 5% of the world’s Catholics? Should certain candidates for the papacy be disregarded because their command of Italian is insufficient, as some have suggested to the media? The Church ought to promote equality amongst its uppermost ranks if it wishes the flock to follow suit, keeping in mind that “rich and poor have this in common: the Lord is maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2). A Church that aspires to universality (note the definition of the word catholic) cannot maintain artificial criterion in selecting its ultimate authority. Jesus told Peter and the other disciples, none of whom were Europeans, to “go and make disciples of all nations,” not to lord over them.