Nigeria, April 27 -- "Waiting for an African Pope" by my brother, Azu Ishiekwene, made an interesting reading. Azu's immense fecundity, as usual, his flawless prose, and free-flowing minting and weaving of words will always be a delight anyday. "Waiting for an African Pope" ended while I was still enjoying it!

Did Azu argue or canvass for an African pope at this point in time? Not really, in my own opinion, although he gave reasons that can support or justify the choice of one. Since the late Pope Francis was the first Jesuit and cardinal from the Americas (born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to be specific) "to rise to the top of the papacy", this, posits Azu, "raises hopes that the next one may come from Africa or Asia".

Another cogent r...