Does the Popes nationality matter at all?
1) People of different nationalities have different cultural background. Even if the most important for a Pope is his relation to religion, his nationality will certainly also have an influence. 2) “Of the 265 popes (263 to be exact because Pope Benedict IX, during the dreadful medieval fights between popes and anti-popes, was elected three times) 205 were Italians, (of whom 106 were Romans), and 57 foreigners; comprised of 19 Frenchmen, 14 Greeks, 8 Syrians, 6 Germans, 3 Africans, 2 Spaniards, 1 Austrian, 1 Palestinian, 1 Englishman, 1 Dutchman, and 1 Pole.” Source and further information: http://www.popechart.com/facts.htm Further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes 3) “While much has been made of his German origins, Ratzinger’s nationality does not provide as much insight into the nature of his papacy as the media have claimed. The seventh German pope in Christianity’s 2,000-year history, and the first in 480 years, has been criticized more harshly in Germany for
