AHC: Chinese Pope

Tsao

Banned
That's right. With a POD after 1350 and before 1900, your challenge is to create a scenario where a Chinese person (or at least of Chinese descent) is the Pope.
 

scholar

Banned
Have catholicism become popular in China, frequent visits between the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, Germans, French, and Italians with the Chinese ends up having the unintended consequences of a large number of Chinese being brought to Europe. One Chinese woman, a converted catholic, is arranged to marry the King of Spain in order to ensure future friendly relations between the two (not an uncommon practice among either countries), the King has six children (though it could be any number not one or zero). One becomes the next king while the second, in a power struggle, becomes a priest and renounces all claims to the Spanish throne. He becomes an influential man amongst the bishops and is eventually made Pope.

Technically this scenario doesn't even require a monarch, just a marriage into an influential noble family.
 

Tsao

Banned
Interesting, though what would the reaction be to a Chinese pope? And in what time period would this take place?
 

scholar

Banned
Interesting, though what would the reaction be to a Chinese pope? And in what time period would this take place?
Well, technically, I think they would have a greater problem with the pope being the former first in line for the Spanish throne once his brother becomes King, not that he's half Chinese. That said there would probably some negative feed back unless the POD also manages to make China a far stronger nation which would allow it to join the same level as the monarchs in Europe.
 
By far the most likely scenario will involve a Filipino of Chinese descent, which shouldn't be too hard. Anything else borders on ASB.
 
I think you're looking at it the wrong way to have a long ago Chinese pope. YOu need the POD some time ago to get a lot of catholics in China but I think its only really in modern times you can actually have a Chinese pope, the racism is too strong. Hell, up until pretty recent times it was rare for popes to be even non-Italian let alone non-caucasian.
 
I think you're looking at it the wrong way to have a long ago Chinese pope. YOu need the POD some time ago to get a lot of catholics in China but I think its only really in modern times you can actually have a Chinese pope, the racism is too strong. Hell, up until pretty recent times it was rare for popes to be even non-Italian let alone non-caucasian.

This.

Actually, it's not that impossible that a future pope will be Chinese. As John Paul II. was elected in part as a signal to the Communists, I think that it's very likely that the next pope is from Africa, in particular an African country in which Catholics/Christians and Muslims struggle with each other. But in the same line, a chinese pope as a sign to the Chinese government is also a possibility.

Now with an early POD, you can have more Catholics in Asia/China and thus increase the likelihood of an Asian pope. With Catholics opposed/suppressed in China and Chinese being the plurality in Asia there's a high likelihood for a Chinese pope.
 
This.

Actually, it's not that impossible that a future pope will be Chinese. As John Paul II. was elected in part as a signal to the Communists, I think that it's very likely that the next pope is from Africa, in particular an African country in which Catholics/Christians and Muslims struggle with each other. But in the same line, a chinese pope as a sign to the Chinese government is also a possibility.

Now with an early POD, you can have more Catholics in Asia/China and thus increase the likelihood of an Asian pope. With Catholics opposed/suppressed in China and Chinese being the plurality in Asia there's a high likelihood for a Chinese pope.

Even the most optimistic estimates put the proportion of Catholics in China at less than 2%. In other words, a Chinese Pope in a future TL is as probable as a white European becoming a Grand Ayatollah.
 
Sure, why not. So, a Chinese (or rather any East Asian) pope is ASB?

I wonder if the Taiping Rebellion had been successful, and moderated, if they would have adopted more pro-Western (read: Catholic) trappings in their theology, leading to an antipope being elected in (south) China sometime thereafter.
 
Chinese Christians can honour their ancestors, Christianity community grows substantially, No Yuan Dynasty, industrialization leads to social disorder, greater growth of Christianity, crack down on Christianity, warlord period, Christian states established. Europe is made unlivable/devastated from plague, mega-earthquake/tsunami, asteroid. China is unified under a Christian Chinese state. The Emperor is also (Anti-) Pope.
 
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