As the College of Cardinals prepares to convene in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to choose a new Pope, attention is increasingly turning to Africa, a continent gaining influence in the Catholic Church both in numbers and leadership.
According to the Pew Research Centre, African representation among cardinals eligible to vote in the papal conclave has risen from 8% in 2013 to 12% in 2023, making it the second-fastest growing region after Asia-Pacific, which jumped from 10% to 18%. Europe, while still dominant with the largest number of cardinals (114), saw its voting share decline from 51% to 40% over the same period.
Africa’s 29 cardinals have one of the highest voting participation rates at 62.1%, on par with Asia. The continent is home to 281 million Catholics—20% of the global Catholic population—with the largest numbers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.
Among those gaining global attention as potential successors to Pope Francis are three African cardinals: Ghana’s Peter Turkson, Guinea’s Robert Sarah, and Fridolin Besungu of the DRC. Turkson, a respected advocate of economic justice and climate action, is considered a progressive voice. Sarah, known for traditionalist liturgical views, appeals to more conservative factions. Besungu, the youngest of the three and a close ally of Pope Francis, is celebrated for his focus on social justice and cultural integration.
This shift toward a more diverse College of Cardinals reflects Pope Francis’s legacy of global inclusion, having appointed a majority of the 135 eligible voting cardinals from outside Europe during his 12-year tenure.
As Catholicism grows fastest in Africa, expectations are rising that the next pontiff may reflect the faith’s new demographic realities. African leaders have praised Pope Francis for his inclusive leadership and commitment to peace, with many now hopeful that the continent could, for the first time in history, produce a Pope.
