When was the last Pope that wasn't?
Dear thoughtomator,
This is from a site called "Pope Chart."
http://www.popechart.com/facts.htm
264 popes
- 205 were Italians, (106 Romans)
- 19 Frenchmen
- 14 Greeks
- 8 Syrians
- 5 Germans
- 3 Africans
- 2 Spaniards
- 1 Austrian
- 1 Palestinian
- 1 Englishman
- 1 Dutchman
- 1 Pole
sitetest
First of all the logic you are using is somewhat flawed. Just because something has not happened does not automatically imply it cannot happen or there is a rule against it happening. All it means is it has not happened, yet. For example there has never been a woman US president, or a minority US prsident. But that doesn't mean there is a law saying here cannot be one. Also before Calvin Coolidge there had never been a Congregationalist US president, and before JFK never a Catholic US president. There has to be a first time for everything. An even more base example is global circumnavigation when people thought the world had an edge where ships would either fall off or be swallowed by drakes and dragons.
Just because something hasn't occured yet doesn't mean there is a rule against it.
My second point deals with the papacy directly. There have been major changes in the last half century, many of them obvious, and a good number having to do with the fact that most Catholics in the world are no longer in Europe. The great Catholic centers today are in South America and Africa in terms of quantity, and South America and Goa, India in terms of density. It is also in this places where the faith is still quite ardently held (no Sunday church tourism but true adherence by the larger part of the congregration). Infact last year there was talk of 'exporting' South American and African priests to the west due to a lack of clergy here.
Anyways, Catholicism is no longer limited to Rome and greater Europe.
However the most important aspect is what has been going on in the Papacy before the current Pope. When Pope Paul VI died in 1978, Karol Wojtyla, the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, became Pope John Paul II. He was the first non-Italian pope in over 400 years to be come pope. That was a huge step in 1978 since it was something that hadn't occured in over 4 centuries (it had occured obviously before then).
Moreover look at the current nominies. The fore-runners are one Brazilian, one African, an Indian, and 2 Italians. IF there was a rule saying 'no non-whites' (which would be immesnely stupid considering over 50% of practicing Catholics are in South America, and a good chunk of the others in Africa and parts of Asia). The next pope is up in the air, because each of the gentlemen above are worthy and each has their own camp of supporters (although bthe Brazilian and the Nigerian seem to be slightly ahead, but that doesn't mean a thing in papal elections. Who knows, an Italian pope might be elected, but that will not be due to some nefarious 'rule').
Anyways, there is no such rule. And just because something has not happened does not mean that it is indicative of a rule against it.