Admittedly, I’m not a Catholic, so some may question my qualifications to comment on the subject of who ought to be the next Pope. Further, I would note, that technically my opinion ought to have no weight at all, for the “election” of the Pope is theoretically an act of apostolic succession and is therefore conducted entirely by the will of God.

That being said, I’m going to offer my own suggestion. I’ve heard people opine that the next Pope could be African, Latin American, Italian, Eastern European and even (God forbid!) American. But there’s one nationality which hasn’t been discussed which ought to be: Chinese.

The situation of the Catholic Church in China is somewhat complex. There is both an “official” Church, sanctioned by the Chinese Government and an unofficial Church (which is recognized by the Vatican) which is persecuted by the state. The Pope has actually appointed a number of “Secret Cardinals” in China, using an obscure provision of Papal law.

If the Conclave is truly brave, they’ll elevate one of those Cardinals to the Papacy. Can you imagine the reaction from the Chinese authorities to such a move?