Don't believe, all things you read on Goanet. I was given the impression that there were only white Popes- to my chagrin, I lost a £50 pound bet........
http://www.ndtceda.com/archives/200208/0163.html Hello Present and Former Debaters, It has been a concern of mine that many people still are unaware of the roles that Blacks play in the role of Christianity since the foundation of the Church. Many people believe that only Whites have ever been Pope or until recently declared saints. It seems that this wide spread ignorance is intentional as shown by the Catholic Church changing of a recent canonized saints from a dark skin man with little facial hair to a light skinned man with beard (sounds kind of familiar). I assume that the dark skinned saint was not good enough to be a representative of the Church. The following website lists the Black popes, Black saints, and so on. http://www.holyangels.com Three Black Catholic Popes There were 3 Popes known to be black: Pope St. Victor - Elected in 189 AD. He was deacon when he became Pope, a rarity then and now. He established a set date for the celebration of Easter yearly. He died a martyr for the faith in 199. Pope St. Militiades - Reigned as Pope from 311 - 314. He signed the emperor Constantine's famous Edict of Milan in 313, ending the persecutions, and making Christianity the established religion of the empire. He was considered an excellent Pope, "a son of peace and father of Christians" according to St. Augustine. Pope St. Gelasius - Reigned from 492 -496. Born in Rome, he was renowned for his holiness, kindness and scholarship. He saved Rome from famine, composed a book of hymns for church use, was renowned for his concern for the poor and clarified church teaching on the Eucharist. Anthony of Egypt - Founder of Monasticism A black man born in 251 of wealthy parents in Egypt, he inherited their wealth when his parents died. But his desire to imitate the poverty of Jesus led Anthony to sell all he had, withdraw from civilization, and live a life devoted to prayer, fasting and piety. He was the first to withdraw in such a way, and gradually became famed for his spiritual wisdom and battles with the devil. Other people came to join him eventually, and Anthony spent time training them in the monastic life. He was a renowned preacher and teacher, and is considered today the father of monasticism and religious life. Few Christians have had the impact of the black monk Anthony of Egypt.......................... -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England