AHC: A Black Pope

Wolfpaw

Banned
All on the tin. With a POD of any time during it's history, have somebody of distinctly black African descent become Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
 
All on the tin. With a POD of any time during it's history, have somebody of distinctly black African descent become Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Wait a few years. It is very likely that Benedict's successor will either be from Latin America or Africa.
 
All on the tin. With a POD of any time during it's history, have somebody of distinctly black African descent become Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

I suppose that there are two easier ways:
1) Following portuguese missionary activity, either Kongo or Ethiopia adhere to Catholicism and stick on it, becoming significant Catholic countries. They develop a local clergy (faster in Ethiopia, that had one already) that gradually makes its way into the Roman high clergy. At some point, an African cardinal is seen as politically the best choice, probably due to some some standstill in election, and becomes Pope as a compromise figure.
2) Some descendant of black slaves brought to Europe manages to ascend the clerical stair till the very top due to his sheer ability to do so. He could be for example an illegitimate son of some Italian Noble and a (former) slave maid of his. This would be regarded as shameful, but if the father gets him educated and he's smart enough, it could be not impossible. Illegitimate offspring of noblemen was disposed of that way in several cases.
 
Maybe during Roman times ? Pope Miltiades was of Berber descent OTL, so it's not inconceivable to have someone native to Africa as Pope. Pope Victor was too, but he was a Roman.


So, maybe someone of Nubian descent has a bright career in Alexandria and then for some reason moves to Carthage. From there, with a bit of luck, he might become Bishop of Rome
 
I suppose that there are two easier ways:
1) Following portuguese missionary activity, either Kongo or Ethiopia adhere to Catholicism and stick on it, becoming significant Catholic countries. They develop a local clergy (faster in Ethiopia, that had one already) that gradually makes its way into the Roman high clergy. At some point, an African cardinal is seen as politically the best choice, probably due to some some standstill in election, and becomes Pope as a compromise figure.
2) Some descendant of black slaves brought to Europe manages to ascend the clerical stair till the very top due to his sheer ability to do so. He could be for example an illegitimate son of some Italian Noble and a (former) slave maid of his. This would be regarded as shameful, but if the father gets him educated and he's smart enough, it could be not impossible. Illegitimate offspring of noblemen was disposed of that way in several cases.

1) Ethiopia is unlikely, since they already have a longstanding tradition of relative ecclesiastical independence, along with their own culture, liturgy, and close ties to the Copts in Egypt. The Church would have to be much more compromising at the time in order to make any Ethiopian papabile. However someone of Ethiopian descent could still be pope provided he is the descendent of emigres to Portugal. Kongo is more likely since they would be immediately tied into the Latin hierarchy, but they would really need to pull a Meiji.
2)Less likely, but way cooler:D
 

If Pope St. Gelasius wasn't a Roman living in Africa, then he was probably a Berber, so I'm not sure he would qualify, although it did cross my mind.

St. Moses the Black.

Cool, but how do we get him to Rome all the way from Egypt? Maybe after his conversion he gets attached to an itinerant Latin priest and comes back to Rome with him, or he stays there after becoming important in Alexandria and being sent by the patriarch on important business. The problem is that the kindness shown to him by monks was a big part of his conversion experience, which is why he joined the monastery that let him hide there. Now, if a secular priest just happens to be strolling by and pulls a good Samaritan when he's trying to hide from the law, then that might create a similar experience sufficient for conversion. That would be cool, but it would take a lot of work.
 
How about a Touareg or related group? had they been christiniased before Islam came in?

and by a rather loose definition of 'black'.... how about a dark-skinned but not african peoples, like a world where catholicism went all the way to the dravidian south of india? :eek:
 
How about a Touareg or related group? had they been christiniased before Islam came in?

and by a rather loose definition of 'black'.... how about a dark-skinned but not african peoples, like a world where catholicism went all the way to the dravidian south of india? :eek:

A Pope Thomas then, I presume?
 
A Pope Thomas then, I presume?

Depend, the Christians you point at where closer to... Orientals, I think, maybe Nestorians... Flocculancio surely know.

but what if France by example got major parts of India at least instead of Britain, some converts happen in lower caste peoples by example, non 'aryans' specially, like dravidians and mundas...

far fetched, but not impossible then...
 
You are totally going to see this in my TL, Belisarius Reigns.

I won't spoil it all for you, but the concept is a Roman Empire surviving, with a POD during Justinian's day. Christianity becomes more unified, rather than more sectarian, and Axum (Ethiopia) becomes closely allied with the Roman Empire. Eventually, an Axumite will become Pope, though it will be some time before this happens.
 
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