Pope Benedict XVI gave what was his second to the last Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square, today. In doing so, the first Pope to retire in 600 years, attracted 80,000 people.
The Pope is stepping down because, at 86, he says he doesn’t have the energy to go on with the daily grind of the job. Pope Benedict XVI has been that for eight years, and is the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The question is, who will replace him? It’s very possible the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the 267th Pope, will be black.
According to CNN, if all of the the 117 Cardinals happen to be in Rome at the same time, they may meet before March 15 to choose the next pope, a Vatican spokesman said Saturday. There’s a not-widely-held view that the next Pope may be black, but that’s because prophesy points to the next candidate as having the name “peter.” Take a look at this good vlog by Carlos Sandoval, and I’ll explain:
According to the “Prophecy of the Popes,” which is a set of 112 predictions regarding the leader of The Roman Catholic Church, the last Pope will be called “Peter the Roman.” The Prophecy says that the current Pope fits the relationship of the Olivetian Order, and so will be the last Pope before what will be the final Pope is named. That would be “Peter The Roman.” After his rein, the City of Rome and The Catholic Church will be destroyed, marking the start of the Apocalypse.
It must be noted that historians point to the lack of accuracy of the “Prophecy of the Popes,” and say that they may have been faked. But that said, there is one candidate who would seem to fit the prophecy: Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, or “Peter Turkson.”
Peter Turkson was appointed head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace by Pope Benedict XVI, on October 24th 2009. He was Archbishop of Cape Coast prior to that elevation.
Turkson is the odds on favorite to be the next Pope.
In an interview with the Telegraph UK, Turkson said ” “[We need] to relevantly address issues and the credibility of our own ministry and leadership,” said Cardinal Turkson. “The Church, if you adopt the imagery of a boat, is going through quite a bit of a storm and it does not appear to be over yet. In Europe, churches are getting empty, the population appears not to relate much to the Church and to religion and all of that –that is an issue to deal with. In the new churches, Latin America, Africa and Asia, where the Church appears to be growing there is also the challenge of being able to maintain membership. Whoever succeeds Benedict will not lack challenges and they are an invitation to creativity and innovation.”
So while Turkson’s said to be conservative, he also would appear to be one who would seek innovative ways to make the Roman Catholic Church relevant in an industrialized World that’s grown to accept gay marriage more often than not.
The speculation here is that if Turkson’s selected the “end of The Roman Catholic Church” may not be a true end, but a shift in doctrine with respect to gay marriage. Should that occur, it will be more than interesting to see what happens next. I don’t think it will mean the end of Rome, but given that we’ve been closely visited by two cosmic objects in less than a day, and one hit, you never know.
Stay tuned.