Is Robert Sarah too conservative to be the next Pope?

It is official: the conclave to choose the next Pope begins on May 7th. It can then take days or even weeks for the participating cardinals to complete their consultations. However, the white smoke has already increased on the Internet. If “Catholic Twitter” (as was called before) were to make the big decision, the next Pope would most likely be cardinal Robert Sarah.

The buzz among online believers has usually conservative telegraph and the Viewers. In the absence of reliable surveys, he is closest to the election of a people’s election. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church is not a democracy. But the Cardinal Electors meeting in the next week may want to consider why the quietly spoken 79-year-old from Guinea is so much hope.

After the confusing twists of the reign of Pope Francis, it is not surprising that many Catholics want a return to the certainties of faith. It is certainly difficult to think of a contemporary figure that would better embody this desire than Sarah. Although he is counted among them Papabiles – Those with a shot to become the next Pope – he is not one of the top favorites. The bookmakers, predictive markets and Vatican observers leave him behind. Why shouldn’t his colleagues choose Sarah?

The worst excuse is that it is time for another Italian Pope. It is true that there has been no Italian bishop of Rome since 1978, but since Gelasius in 492 more there has been no African Pope. Incidentally, Sarah speaks Italian fluently – not to mention Latin, English, French and Spanish.

Another criticism is that he is too conservative. The reporting on the media focuses on statements from his “gender ideology is a luciferic refusal to maintain a sexual nature of God”. But everything he said in public is in line with church teaching. If Sarah is too conservative, then Catholicism is too conservative, which of course really means its critics. He is also hardly a Loudmouth, seeking attention. His book The power of silence Is profound and after 12 years of an unfamiliar time from Francis, a contemplative Pope would make a welcome change.

After all, Sarah is just too old? At the age of 79, he was only young enough to take part in the conclave, which, in contrast to the American presidency, excludes October trays. However, he seems to be in good health and quickly recovered from a prostatopic operation in 2021. In any case, the importance of a papacy cannot be measured in its permanent duration. Pope John XXIII – the good pope ” – had only five years in the job, but still have a profound influence on the modern church.

It was not long that Catholicism can be led by a much younger man like Pierbattista Pizzaballa or Luis Antonio Tagle, but first the cardinals may want to stop and think and pray. You will do a lot of it next week. But if you need more time – maybe a few years – you should choose a Pope who hits his creator closer.