By John Ogunsemore
The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah has said the church does not allocate positions based on geography and quotas.
He stated this in an article titled, “Conclave 2025: What kind of Pope will the world get?”
The cleric was responding to those clamouring for an African to be elected as the next pope following the demise of Latin American pontiff, Pope Francis.
Daily Sun reported that 133 cardinal electors on Wednesday entered into conclave at the Vatican to elect the next pope.
Kukah said, “There are those who believe that a pope from Africa, where the Church is growing and where they claim to see signs of great moral clarity, would address their issues.
“This is a view held by those who believe that the response of the Bishops of Africa to the debate on LGBT and their muscular defense of the family, captured in their response to the 2023 Vatican Document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), offered a kind of clarity that the Church badly needed.
“There are also those who believe that a pope from Asia is long overdue.
“However, the Catholic Church does not simply allocate positions based on geography or quotas.”
Kukah noted that the church needs and “will only get a leader after God’s heart”.