Will he be from the United States? How about from Latin America? Will the Catholic Church look afar, perhaps the Philippines, or stay close to home? This conclave marks the first time in history in which fewer than half of the cardinals voting to elect a new pope will be European, and church watchers have wondered whether the nationality or ethnicity of the candidates will play a role — especially as the church grows in the global south.
Northeastern University religion and politics expert William Miles says that the politics of nationality is less important, however, than the “theopolitics” of a polarized church in selecting the next pope. “I think the nationality card is being overplayed,” says Miles, a professor of political science who teaches the Religion and Politics class at Northeastern. “More important than the nationality or the ethnicity of the pope this time around is going to be his stance on the issues that are polarizing the Catholic world.”
