ROME
NBC News
By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News
It’s been 35 years since an Italian pope has ruled the Catholic Church, and some Vatican watchers believe the conclave that starts Tuesday could be the first to elect a pontiff from outside Europe.
While the Italians control a quarter of the votes, recent scandals suggest that they might be too beset by deep divisions to unite early around one candidate from their home turf.
The church’s influence in Europe is on the wane, and its biggest area of growth is in sub-Saharan Africa, leading some to suggest that it might be time to look beyond the traditional countries for a pope with global appeal.
“The Catholic Church has moved far beyond the notion that any one nationality has a peculiar aptitude for the Office of Peter,” said NBC News Vatican analyst George Weigel, author of “Evangelical Catholicism.”
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