African pope

An African pope is a pope of African origin, birth, or heritage.

Roman Catholic Church

Three Africans have occupied the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church.

According to the records of the Liber Pontificalis, all three were North Africans elected when much of the region was under the control of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Their skin color is unknown, although it is not thought that they were "black" in the sense that most modern English speakers understand the term. The loss of Byzantine North Africa to Islam during the 7th century largely eliminated the chance for another African pope until modern times.

• Pope Victor I (189 to 199)
• Pope Miltiades (310 or 311 to 314)
• Pope Gelasius I (492 to 496)

Other churches

The Eastern Orthodox Church has a patriarch whose formal title is the Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and All Africa. In addition, the head of the Coptic Church is traditionally styled the Coptic Pope and is also based in Alexandria, Egypt. Many of the incumbents of these two offices could, in a strict sense, be considered "African popes".

External link

• Africa Asks if Time Right for African Pope (Associated Press, 4 April 2005)