Ghanaian Roman Catholics and indeed even non-Catholics were full of pride, when one of their own, Archbishop Turkson was elevated last year by the late Pope John Paul II to the rank of Cardinal - the first Ghanaian to be so ennobled.

It brought him one step, even if most unlikely, closer to becoming a pope himself some day. He will be one of the cardinals that would be meeting in conclave soon to select the successor to John Paul II.

The guessing game as to who would eventually don the papal mitre has already started. South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a man not shy of controversy, has expressed the hope that Pope John Paul II will be succeeded by an African.

Catholic commentators in South Africa are less certain that the election of an African Pope would be the first choice of African Catholics.

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze has been mentioned among the more likely candidates to succeed the Pope, opening the possibility of an African leading the Catholic Church for the first time in 1,500 years. "We hope that perhaps the cardinals when they meet will follow the first non-Italian Pope by electing the first African Pope," Tutu told reporters in Cape Town.

There are around 130 million African Catholics - which is more than one in 10 members of the faith worldwide. Bishop Jabulani Nxumalo, the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Durban, suggested that the national origin of the Pope's successor would not be the first concern.

"I did not see John Paul II as a Polish Pope, but as a person of substance," Bishop Nxumalo told BBC News Online. "Most important is to get a sound and solid leader. Where he comes from is a matter of indifference to me."

Gunther Simmermacher, the editor of South Africa's Catholic newspaper, The Southern Cross, suggested that Catholics would put doctrinal issues first in determining which candidate they would wish to see elected.

"Arinze is seen as a rather conservative cardinal, and I would imagine South African Catholics who are more progressive would rather see a different cardinal being elected. On the other hand, more conservative Catholics might favour Arinze," Mr Simmermacher told BBC News Online.

In Zimbabwe, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, praised the Pope as an "outstanding leader". "He was very concerned about Africa as well as other trouble spots such as the Middle East," Archbishop Ncube told AFP.

"He was concerned about the AIDS crisis. He felt much more could be done," Archbishop Ncube added. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe - himself a Catholic, and someone frequently criticised by Archbishop Ncube - described John Paul II as "a very virtuous man, a virtuous leader of the Catholic Church".

During an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to mark his Zanu-PF party's recent victory in parliamentary elections, Mr Mugabe said small nations such as Zimbabwe feared "the bullies of this world", and hoped that big nations would pay heed to the Pope's message of peace.

Ghana's Cardinal Turkson is still a sophomore in this exalted and exclusive club of Roman Catholic prelates and is yet to make his mark either on the reforming or conservative side of the Church. Now he has been thrown into the highest spiritual and temporal decision-making time of his Church: the election of a pope.

Source: www.popechart.com With extra notes and comments from ADM