Nigeria, April 27 -- In the ancient silence of the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michelangelo's immortal ceiling, a decision of staggering consequence is about to unfold one that may echo far beyond the walls of the Vatican. The world waits, not only for a new Pope, but for a new voice of spiritual and moral clarity in a century crying out for it. The men most likely to wear the white cassock this time are from regions once seen as the Church's periphery Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This, in itself, is a statement as loud as a papal bull.

In the photo making rounds across major news platforms, four cardinals stand shoulder to shoulder.Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, Cardinal Pietro Parolin of Italy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Phil...