not remotely moderate. And how in hell does his comment about the spread of AIDS demonstrate that he's moderate?

I am not qualified to answer that question. I was just pondering exploding heads over a black pope. It shouldn't matter but, so many would not accept it.

people will probably start saying "Is the Pope black?"

But he's only 64, so I think he's too young for the post. I'm sure they don't want to risk another one retiring and dissing god.

. . . Although I've heard from some sources that there is little enthusiasm among the Cardinals for a lengthy papacy such as his any time soon.

There are variations within the RCC on attitudes toward women.

We may be looking at a bulwark against America's Catholics for Choice.

would certainly explode

Some kind of weird Catholic tea party derivative for starters.

Well done.

Curia Cardinal Turkson causes uproar showing Muslim scare video at Vatican

A Roman Catholic cardinal has caused an uproar at the Vatican by screening a spurious YouTube video that makes alarmist predictions about the growth of Islam in Europe.

The seven-minute clip, called “Muslim Demographics,” was the talk of an international gathering of bishops on Monday, two days after Cardinal Peter Turkson screened it during a free discussion period.

Turkson, a Ghanaian who is based in the Vatican and is president of its Council for Justice and Peace, sparked consternation among his fellow bishops over the clip.

“As we were arriving this morning I was asked several times ‘Who planned it? Whose was it? Who is behind it?” Father Thomas Rosica said at a briefing for journalists, who are not allowed to attend the synod sessions, the first since the screening.

<snip>

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/10/17/curia-cardinal-turkson-causes-uproar-showing-muslim-scare-video-at-vatican/

I would expect a lot of vitriol and hate targeted at a Black pope from many Protestants. Kinda like what you see at DU towards Catholics.

I can think of a whole lot of Catholics that would have a problem with it.

I have never met a Catholic who was not a racist and a bigot. I often get attacked by Catholics for being an Atheist or for being an Obama supporter. My Italian clients think the "N" word describes everyone they think is shiftless or lazy. These are college educated, rich and 3rd generation Americans. They have no excuse except this is what they learned in their predominantly white catholic schools.

Raised Catholic and went to Catholic school in Philly. Trust me, racism exists among Catholics.

is that the away uniform?

a black Pope. Oh, Noes!

The bigots will ask for his birth certificate. They might accuse him of being born in the USA of all places.

I know why the OP would focus on race as the big issue, but it really makes no difference. People are people, human minds are human minds, the race of the pope is far less important than his position on the issues.

For instance, Herman Cain would not be the same president as Obama, in spite of also being black, though some of the same problems of racism might arise.

My brother among them.

A lot of discussion about the politics of the next Pope always seems to come from the assumption that the typical Catholic these days is American or western European, when a majority of them are in Latin America or Africa by now; I remember when John Paul II died and people were trying pretty hard to just deny that fact, as it suggested there were Catholic worldviews other than the ones they ran into on a day-to-day basis.

That said, all things being equal I'd love to see a Pope come from someplace that wasn't part of either the Roman or the Holy Roman Empire for a change. All things aren't equal, though, so "someone marginally more decent than the outgoing guy" might have to do for now.

to vote in their own best interest.

Pope favorite has defended African ‘Kill the Gays’ laws

The top three candidates for Pope are all vehemently anti-LGBT, with one defending African laws punishing gay people with death.

Pope Benedict XVI resigned earlier today (11 February), with the 85-year-old citing ill health and his advancing age.

Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, has said many of the laws imposed on gay people in Africa are an ‘exaggeration.’

Last year, the National Catholic Register reported the Cardinal saying it is important people understand the ‘reasons’ why some African governments have created legislation against homosexuality.

Turkson argues the ‘intensity of the reaction is probably commensurate with tradition’, saying the African culture needs to be respected.

More:
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pope-favorite-has-defended-african-%E2%80%98kill-gays%E2%80%99-laws110213

I was simply posing the question to see what everyone thought would happen considering the racism in the US.

It would be hopeful that the man is considered for or eliminated because of his views and not the color of his skin.

They would either self-destruct or be paralyzed into total inaction.

Malachy's Prophecies - The Last 10 Popes
Known to Catholics as St. Malachy (1094-1148)

8. The Labor of the Son. "De Medietate Lunae" JOHN PAUL II. 1978-2005

Pope John Paul II

Amazingly, Pope John Paul II was the only pope who was both born the day of an eclipse of the sun, and entombed the day the sun was eclipsed.
One of Malachy's strangest predictions concerned the pope who would follow 'De Medietate Lunae'. He is designated as 'De Labore Solis', or 'from the toil of the sun'. Applied to John Paul II, this phrase reveals nothing less than a double prophecy. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), the first non-Italian elected in 456 years, was a native of Krakow, Poland. Krakow is the city where, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Copernicus 'toiled'; for years to prove his heretical theory that the earth revolved around the sun. Many of Malachy s interpreters also suggested that the 'sun' reference indicated a young pope. Fifty-eight years old at the time of his election, John Paul II was the youngest pope in over a century.

John Paul II was the most traveled Pope in history. He has circled the globe numerous times, preaching to huge audiences everywhere he goes. Even though he was once shot, he has not seemed to slow down. He has recently written a book which has enjoyed a large circulation.

Like the sun which never ceases to labor and provides light daily, this Pope has been incessant. John Paul compared abortion to the Holocaust and denounced gay marriages as part of 'a new ideology of evil'. He argued that same-sex marriages threaten society by undermining the traditional family.

.................................

10. PETER THE ROMAN - The 112th prophesy states: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Petrus Romanus, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End." The last pope may just cut Catholics loose from unity and the papacy, causing total disruption and confusion. See Saint Francis of Assissi's 13th century prophecy below. It is believed the next pope will

http://www.bibleprobe.com/last10popes.htm