I am reading a book that is threatening to turn me into a radical. The book is called What Is The What by Dave Eggers. You will hear more about it in subsequent posts.

In the meantime, I have a very urgent question: When are we going to have a black Pope?

We have gotten in Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States. We have in Michael Steele, the first black chairman of the Republican Party. We have in Mike Tomlin, another black coach leading an NFL team to a Super Bowl win. So the first time, Tony Dungy’s 2007 Colts, was not a hoax. Doug Williams of the Red Skins had shown that black quarterbacks could win the Super Bowl.

Yet, some people are not satisfied that black people are just the same as the rest of humanity. These are not just people on the edge of society. There are a great number of people in the mainstream of society who still think that way.

I do not think we have to wait for the Germans to elect a black Chancellor. I have only one lifetime to spare. Neither do I think we have to wait for the son of Saudi Arabian black slaves to become the Emir of Mecca. (Yeah, what happened to those black slaves?)

I think the definitive statement that will end all arguments about “the philosophy that holds one race superior to another” will come when the Roman Catholic cardinals elect a black Pope.

I thought they were going to do that when John Paul II died. They had Cardinal Francis Arinze there, ready and waiting. But they chickened out – out of fear that some people might revolt. So they gave us Germans Benedict XVI. Now that Barrack Obama has been elected President of the United States and the world has not collapsed, maybe it is time.

Beyond the symbolism, there is the fact that more black people go to church on Sunday than any other group in Europe. Also, more black people are killed because they are Christians than any other group in the world today. So what better fit and fix.

It has been said that the way a woman treats her maid says a lot about the way she treats her children and other people. And sometimes, the way a woman treats her maid could be seen in the dress the maid wears.

For a long time, black people have been the maids of this world. It is obvious when we look at their standing around the world and how the world treats them. A family that treats the maid well is likely going to treat the butler, the driver, the cook, and the gardener well.

If a Latino crosses a bridge, the bridge becomes open to other Latinos. If an Indian crosses a bridge, the bridge becomes open to other Indians. If a gay person crosses a bridge, the bridge becomes open to other gay persons. But when a black man crosses a bridge, the bridge becomes open to anyone.

When are we going to have a black Pope?