America has elected an African-American president.
Will cardinals elect an African-American pope next?
Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory of Atlanta told the UK Times that the current pope has suggested electing a black pope would send the world a “splendid signal.”
Gregory is originally from Chicago (like Obama) and became the first black man to oversee the U.S. Bishops Conference in 2001.
Rumor had it that, after the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the cardinals would elect a new pope from Africa. Instead, they elected Ratzinger, the German-born cardinal who became Pope Benedict XVI.
When Benedict passes on, will the conclave choose a black man to replace him? Gregory thinks it could happen, since the conclave picks the person who is best for the job and does not base its decision on race.