Fridolin Ambongo Besungu Tipped as Potential First Black Pope Amidst Controversy

Vatican City: Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, a 65-year-old Capuchin friar from the Federal Republic of Congo, is emerging as a significant contender to become the first black pope. Having studied theology in Rome, Besungu was appointed bishop in 2004 and has been serving as the Archbishop of Kinshasa since 2018. In 2019, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal.

According to Ansa News Agency, Besungu was called to Rome by Pope Francis in 2020 to join the Council of Cardinals, a group of nine prelates tasked with assisting in the governance of the Church and the reform of the Curia. In 2023, he was reaffirmed in his role. Despite being labeled as a “conservative” cardinal, largely due to his 2023 critique of Pope Francis’s progressive stance on the LGBT community, particularly regarding the blessing of homosexual couples, Besungu shares several views with the pontiff. He has promoted a document by African bishops opposing Pope Francis’s “Fiducia supplicans” declaration, which permitted such blessings. Nonetheless, this remains his primary point of contention with the pope.

Besungu aligns with Pope Francis on the concept of synodality, advocating for more inclusive governance of the Church. He also shares the pontiff’s criticism of Western countries, which they view as neocolonial and exploitative, particularly concerning African natural resources. Besungu has been vocal about the need to combat global warming through renewable energy sources.

However, Besungu has taken a more hardline stance than Pope Francis by criticizing UN agencies, accusing them of promoting LGBT ideology in exchange for economic aid. He views the West as antagonistic to traditional views on marriage, family, and procreation, and claims that Africa, unlike the West, rejects what he describes as moral decline, especially homosexuality, which he argues is a marginal issue on the continent.

In his homeland, Besungu has been an outspoken critic of former President Joseph Kabila between 2016 and 2018, accusing him of attempting to cling to power by avoiding elections. He supported Congolese citizens demanding elections and condemned the violent suppression of protests. As vice-president of the Congolese Episcopal Conference in 2017, he played a mediating role to end internal conflicts and facilitate elections the following year. However, his outspoken nature has not come without controversy; last year, he was investigated by the Congolese judiciary for “seditious statements, false rumors, inciting the population to revolt and attacks.”