You should read Mr. Allen’s interesting observations about the demographics of the College of Cardinals. Here is a teaser:
In addition, there are places where the limited number of spots for
new cardinals might be better utilized. Here’s a projection of what the
top ten Catholic countries on earth will be in 2050, as measured by
population:
- Brazil: 215 million
- Mexico: 132 million
- Philippines: 105 million
- United States: 99 million
- Democratic Republic of Congo: 97 million
- Uganda: 56 million
- France: 49 million
- Italy: 49 million
- Nigeria: 47 million
- Argentina: 46.1 million
As of Nov. 24, those 10 nations will have a total of 55 cardinal
electors, but 41 come from Italy, France and the United States. The
other nations have a combined total of just 14, four of whom are
Vatican officials. The Democratic Republic of Congo, the largest
Catholic nation on the continent with the fastest rate of Catholic
growth, has no cardinal at all, and Uganda’s lone cardinal is over 80.
The Philippines has just three cardinals, with two electors.By way of comparison, here are the Catholic nations with the largest number of cardinal electors:
- Italy: 22
- United States: 13
- France: 6
- Spain: 6
- Germany: 6
- Brazil: 4
- Mexico: 4
- Canada: 3
- Poland: 3
- India: 3
- Colombia: 3
Why did Benedict select the Cardinals he chose? Does he think that the
Church’s future right now depends more on the European/American factor?
