"Win The World Cup First": Bishop Kukah Reacts to Call For Black Pope

Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has said that the election of the Catholic Pope is different from any election in the world, while reacting to the call for an African Pope following the death of Pope Francis.

The cleric made the comment while speaking about his experience at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, while sharing his experience at Rome, the capital of Italy and the impact of the new Pope in Africa.

Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Bishop Kukah also commented on the role of traditional leaders, religious leaders and political leaders in the Nigeria of today and commented on how to make sure that everybody is contributing to the development of the country.

Speaking on electing an African Pope, Bishop Kukah explained that the black continent has a long way to go, adding that "let’s win the World Cup first" before talking about producing a Pope.

The cleric noted that he had addressed the concerns in an article after the death of Pope John Paul II, and there were concerns that Cardinal Arinze was close to becoming the next Pope. He then expressed that electing a new Pope was not the same as it was across the world.

He said:

"As you know, electing a pope is not like that, it’s not an ‘Emilokan’ scenario in which you say, ‘These people have had their turn, now it’s our turn.’ No, it doesn’t work like that. And then the pundits who think that this is like betting on a horse or whatever.

"You always notice that by and large, when people begin to make their speculations, they are using human parameters of their calculation, and very often, most of those who make these calculations simply accumulate their data and suggest this is where it’s going to go.

Recently, Catholic leader Pope Francis died, and Pope Leo XIV was elected as his successor. Pope Leo XIV was inaugurated as the new Catholic leader on Sunday, May 18, at the Vatican in Rome, the capital of Italy.

Source: Legit.ng