With the recent passing of Pope Francis, the world enters a moment not just of mourning, but of reckoning. The head of the Catholic Church’s death marks the end of a papacy defined by humility, climate advocacy, and a focus on the margins of society. But as the College of Cardinals prepares to elect the next pope, a once-whispered question now echoes through the corridors of the Vatican: Could the next pope be Black?

For nearly 2,000 years, the papacy has been a mirror held up to Europe—a lineage of white men presiding over a global Church. This pattern persists even though most Catholics today live in the Global South, particularly in Africa and Latin America. Catholicism is often portrayed as a European inheritance, but its roots are unmistakably Middle Eastern. Jesus, a brown-skinned man born in Roman-occupied Judea, would not have matched the blue-eyed depictions found in stained glass windows across Europe. But whiteness has long shaped not only how Christ is imagined, but who the Church chooses to follow in his footsteps.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, a highly respected Bishop from Ghana, is one of the top contenders to take on the papacy. So, what could this change mean for the future of the Catholic Church? And what kind of pope would Turkson be?

Christianity’s early story is entangled with Africa. One of the earliest Christian nations was Ethiopia. The first theologians included African church fathers like Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine—figures central to Catholic doctrine but rarely depicted in ways that acknowledge their heritage. Even Pope Gelasius I, who served in the fifth century and is believed to have been of African descent, has been all but erased from public consciousness.

Instead, the Church exported a bleached version of the gospel—one that aligned more comfortably with colonial conquest than with its own origins. This legacy is not abstract. Consider Saint Martin de Porres, the son of a Spanish nobleman and a Black freedwoman from Panama. Born in Peru in the 16th century, he is celebrated as the first Black saint of the Americas.

The truth is uncomfortable. The Church didn’t just export the gospel, it exported supremacy. It rebranded Middle Eastern prophets into European saints. It bleached the faith and buried Blackness beneath centuries of dogma and imperial myth. These weren’t innocent artistic liberties. They were acts of theological colonisation.

This is not oversight; it is erasure. And it points to a long-standing discomfort with Blackness in the Church’s visual and historical narrative. This now brings us to today.

Now, with the papal seat vacant, the College of Cardinals will soon gather in conclave beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes. They will debate, pray, and deliberate until one name emerges, a process steeped in centuries of ritual.

However, for the first time in history, fewer than half of those eligible to vote are European. And with 80 per cent of the elected cardinals appointed by Pope Francis himself, this conclave could mark a decisive shift, not only in leadership, but in worldview.

As the Cardinals prepare for the upcoming conclave, several names are emerging as key candidates for the papacy. Among them, Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana stands out. If chosen, Turkson would make history as the first Black pope in more than 1,500 years.

Turkson was raised in a mining town as the fourth of ten children, he once played funk guitar in a local band before turning to theology. The 76-year-old has led several major Vatican offices, including the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development: the body responsible for social justice, human rights, and world peace.

Turkson is theologically conservative but deeply committed to global justice. He has spoken out on climate change and inequality, and he publicly opposed Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation—a bold move in a region where such stances often spark backlash.

While his 2013 remarks in a CNN interview linking clerical abuse to homosexuality were met with criticism, he has since softened his tone, telling the BBC in 2023 that “it’s time to begin education” on homosexuality.

As journalist Roger Boyes of The Times noted, “he’s got his money on Turkson,”not for optics, but for his clarity and credibility. Turkson has long been a leading voice on issues like climate justice and inequality, themes that feel especially urgent today.

Peter Turkson is not alone. Other African cardinals are also in the conversation. Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea is a traditionalist who aligns with the late Pope Benedict and has voiced fears over Islamic extremism and gender ideology. At 79, his age may count against him. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Congo, a strong voice for peace in a conflict-ridden nation, shares Francis’s pastoral worldview but opposed the pope’s 2023 decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, calling it potentially scandalous for African churches.

There are also strong contenders outside Africa. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy is considered the progressive heir to Francis’s legacy. A longtime advocate for the poor, Zuppi has led peace efforts in Ukraine and shown a pastoral, reformist approach that resonates with Europe’s liberal Catholics.

But this moment is bigger than personalities, it’s about perspective. The fastest-growing Catholic populations are no longer in Europe; they are in Africa. According to the recent world economy forum, the African Church is booming, with young people fueling its growth. By 2035, more young Africans will be entering the global workforce than the rest of the world combined.

A Black pope would not just “look different.” He would be different. He would signify a Church beginning to reconcile with its own silences—its colonial entanglements, its visual and theological erasures, and its failure to reflect the universality it claims to uphold.

And yes, Turkson could shatter that ceiling. He’s not perfect—no pope ever has been— but he is a leader who understands both tradition and transformation.