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                  Two Africans Among Candidates for Next Pope

   by VOA News

   African reaction to Pope Benedict's resignation announcement is partly
   focused on whether his successor could come from the continent.
   Two West African cardinals, Peter Turkson of Ghana, and Francis Arinze
   of Nigeria, are considered to be among the top candidates to replace
   Benedict as head of the Roman Catholic Church. Bookmakers in Britain
   name both men as likely favorites in the upcoming election by the
   church's College of Cardinals, along with Marc Ouellet of Canada.
   Born in Ghana, Cardinal Turkson, 64, is former archbishop of Cape
   Coast, in Ghana's central region. Now based at the Vatican, he serves
   as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. 'Turkson
   sparked controversy at a gathering of bishops last October, when he
   screened a video called "Muslim Demographics," which claims Muslims
   will eventually take over parts of Europe because of immigration and
   high birth rates. The church distanced itself from the video, saying it
   does not express the view of the Vatican.
   Cardinal Arinze, 80, hails from southern Nigeria, where he spent 18
   years as archbishop in the city of Onitsha. He is known for engaging in
   interreligious dialogue. In 1999, Arinze received an award from the
   International Council of Christians and Jews for "outstanding
   achievement in inter-faith relations."
   A growing percentage of the Catholic Church's members come from Africa
   and South America, and many analysts say cardinals could be ready to
   select the church's next leader from one of those continents. If either
   Turkson or Arinze is elected, he would become the first non-European
   leader in the church's history.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/two-africans-among-candidates-to-repl
   ace-benedict/1601395.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/two-africans-among-candidates-to-replace-benedict/1601395.html