How an African Pope Could Fight the Spread of Islamic Extremism

[Valin]

PJ Media:

 

Fueling the fire of conversion and stoking pride of non-Christians alike could make al-Qaeda's entrenchment efforts harder in key regions.

Bridget Johnson

3/8/13

 

When the College of Cardinals enters the conclave on Tuesday, more than the future of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.1 billion worldwide adherents hangs in the balance.

 

The 115 diverse princes of the Church will begin a series of balloting to choose the next pope from among their own. Joseph Ratzinger was selected in 2005 as a transition figure to ease the church through the passing of John Paul II and move it forward, though Vatican watchers were buzzing then about the possibility of picking a head of the Holy See from outside Europe.

 

If the conclave reached south of Europe for Benedict XVI’s successor, it would be a move that could throw a roadblock in front of the spread of Islamic extremism in Africa.

 

Africa’s population of 158 million Catholics is growing by leaps and bounds, something assuredly not lost on Islamists in the north as they seek a safe haven and staging ground — and, as chillingly seen in Mali, a place to impose Sharia on the unwilling.

 

(Snip)