An African Pope Won’t Change the Vatican’s Views on Condoms and AIDS
While the potential of an African pope has generated media buzz, Rod McCullom writes at The Atlantic that he believes such an appointment would be just as theologically conservative on sexuality as previous popes. McCullom finds the record of Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, one of the frontrunners to become the next pope, on issues such as condoms and AIDS to be especially conservative. McCullom writes, “A non-European pope would signal a dramatic new face for the Church—but window dressing, at best. The Catholic Church’s policies on sexuality, condoms, and HIV/AIDS—especially in the developing world—will remain firmly in place.”