by Christopher White | National Catholic Reporter When the world's Catholic cardinals enter the Sistine…
April 24, 2025 | BBC
Will the next pope be from Africa?
By Lebo Diseko | Global religion reporter, BBC News
If the sole predictor of who would become the next pope was where the Catholic Church is growing fastest, then it is almost certain he would hail from Africa.
The continent’s Catholic population is expanding more rapidly than anywhere else, representing more than half of the global increase.