Almost half of the global growing 700 million Catholics live in the Americas, ‘the backyard of the US’. At 1.41 billion, there are more Catholics than the population of China, and even if we do not double-count the 23 million living in India, they are almost the same.
Interestingly, the denomination is concentrated in darker-skinned populace in the subcontinent. Such as Kerala. The world seems to be splitting between darker- and lighter- skinned populations. A relationship between the strength of this church and skin colour/ethnicity might become relevant.
Around half of all residents from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego are Catholics, with Latin America on the whole approximating 60 per cent.
Inside America, at least 70 million reside. Despite the travails associated with the misconduct of some of its clergy, the overall trend among Americans is a steady increase, especially among Hispanics and other ethnic minorities. Because of higher fertility rates than whites, plus migration, Hispanics are increasing linearly.
Latinos comprise close to 40 per cent of Catholics in the US – an unwavering trend. The previous Pope, Francis, an Argentinian, was Latino. For the second time in succession, the Pope is from the Americas. This time, a ‘gringo’, born in Chicago, domiciled in Latin America for years, and guess what? Of recent traceable African ancestry. Yup! By the ‘one drop’ rule he is a ’brother’ and has acknowledged it.
He is the fourth Pope with blood from the continent. Victor reigned from 189 to 199 A.D. and was responsible for formalising Easter Sunday and standardising Latin as the language for celebration of mass. Miltiades, from 311 to 314 A.D., was the Pope when Christianity became the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire and hence Western Europe, and finally, Gelasius from 492 to 496 A.D. was ‘back to basics – strict adherence to scripture and fundamentals of the church’s teachings and strong advocacy for the poor, underprivileged and disenfranchised.
Globally, the Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination. Never mind the increasing presence of evangelicals and other Protestant denominations with rich pastors, some of whom kiss politicians without asking. Africa has been reflecting a consistent 3.3 per cent increase in its Catholic population. Although Catholics are fewer than Sunni Muslims, they dwarf the Shia six-fold. The head of Catholicism is no little Shiite. Pope Leo is American by birth, not from a country described derisively as coterminous with the anal orifice.
Fraught with a history of abuse of power, sexual impropriety, and even murder, not to mention the inquisition and the crusades, the sordid genealogy of the Catholic Church is not hidden. True, it, in the past, justified ‘holy wars’, colonialism, and slavery. However, in the modern world, Catholics have stood up for the poor, supported liberation struggles globally and in the Americas, been executed by dictators, and founded myriad colleges and universities. Indeed, Catholicism, on this little rock, established scores of primary schools and a decent number of high schools and colleges, which opened doors to children, who had ability, but scarce economic means.
Despite one of its most glaring black marks being the education of this loose-mouthed sociologist, from St Patrick’s Primary and St George’s College, the existence of the iconic purples, Kingston College, is 100 per cent due to the formation its founder received from the Catholics on the cathedral side of North Street.
For the Pope and Catholic Church, there is no ambiguity as to who Jesus ‘is’ and his status regarding Moses and all of the heroes of the Pentateuch (Torah). Among all religions, only the Catholics have full statehood.
Although choosing not to use nationhood to gain full membership of the UN, the Holy See (Vatican City) has permanent non-member observer status since 1964. It is one of two states with observer status, the other being Palestine, since 2012. Landlocked by the Italian city of Rome, it is a sovereign nation, highly treasured and revered by the nation of Italy.
As far as world leaders go, despite the military might and economic strength at the fingertips of the American president, the Pope is the most influential world leader. Power is not merely the ability to use coercive force. Greater power is legitimacy, where people are willing to act according to the behest of the leader. The Pope has that.
Some things happened over the last weeks, which look like a potential schism between the Holy See and the American leadership. Pope Leo debunked any notion that Jesus supports the current military excursion initiated by Israel and the USA against Iran and its continuation. When the Pope speaks, he has the full authority and backing of all his subordinates. The nature of American society and governance militate against this consensus.
Mindful of the dictate from Pope John Paul II, who described Lebanon as a “mission” and Pope Francis’ label as an official “pilgrim destination”, the actions of Israel in that country cannot find favour with him. Moreover, Lebanon has the highest concentration of Christians in the Middle East, with about 40 per cent of its citizens being mostly Catholic. Its democratically elected president is Catholic.
The Pope noticed that for the first time ever, the Israelis blocked the Cardinal Patriarch of Jerusalem from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to lead Mass on Palm Sunday and must have found an anagram from Apocrypha.
Finally, the full story is untold, but the narrative is that Pope Leo was excoriated for his anti-war stance and cancelled his visit to his birth country either due to differences or fear for his life.
Even the thought of a verbal assault on the Pontiff would be disastrous.
Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.
