Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is emerging as a strong candidate to succeed Pope Francis who died last month on Easter Monday.
Cardinal Ambongo, 65, is on the list of 10 candidates vying for the papacy and could become the first African to head Catholicism in over 1500 years.
Born in 1960 in Boto, a small town in South Ubangi Province, Cardinal Ambongo has risen through the Catholic Church hierarchy to become one of Africa’s most influential religious leaders.
After being ordained as
a priest in 1988 and earning his doctorate in moral theology from Rome’s Alphonsian Academy, he served in various episcopal roles before his appointment as Archbishop of Kinshasa in 2018.
Cardinal Ambongo, a Capuchin friar and moral theologian, has been serving in various episcopal roles since 2004 and was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2018.
He has been vocal in criticizing corruption and colonial legacies to position himself as a possible contender for the papacy and if elected, he would become the first Black pope in 16 centuries.
As cardinals prepare to gather for the conclave in Rome, observers are keenly watching for indications that the succeeding pontiff could be from Africa or another region that has been historically underrepresented in the papacy.
