His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV—the first American‑born pontiff in the Catholic Church’s 2,000‑year history—was inaugurated on Sunday, 18 May 2025, in St Peter’s Square, the worldwide headquarters of the Church.

In his homily, the 267th pope told the congregation:

“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy.”

The remark was striking for its humility, reminiscent of his predecessor, Pope Francis, whose Spartan, down‑to‑earth approach to life and the papacy led him to forgo the traditional papal mansion and the mill­ion‑dollar gold Fisherman’s Ring. Instead, Francis opted for a more modest gold‑plated version.

From Pope Leo XIV’s homily and body language—echoing Francis’s example of washing the feet of society’s least privileged—it is clear that the new pontiff seeks to be servus servorum Dei, “a servant of the servants of God,” and to unify not only Catholics but Christians and humanity at large.

Although he is white, Pope Leo XIV, like Francis, appears determined to embrace every race. His homily, delivered in Italian, was immediately translated into English, Spanish, and Japanese. Diversity was also evident on the altar: many of the celebrating clergy were non‑white—Black and Brown men from every continent.

In my assessment, this reflects the Americanness of the Chicago‑born pope. Following his Augustinian calling, he left the United States for Peru—much less affluent—to become, like Saint Peter, a “fisher of men,” striving to bring lost sheep back to God’s flock.

Later in this essay, I will compare the Catholic Church’s record with its Black members—who comprise roughly 20 percent of all Catholics worldwide—with the United States’ record of welcoming Black Americans into national leadership, even though blacks are a mere 14% of the population.

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The Making of Pope Leo XIV

Media interviews with his brothers, John and Louis Prevost, reveal that Leo XIV (born Robert Prevost) had long aspired to the priesthood:

“As a child,” they recall, “he would drape a towel over his shoulders and pretend to preach homilies.”

While serving in Peru he extended his outreach to Africa. As recently as 2024, he presided over the consecration of the chapel at the Augustinian International House of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya. In his invitation to President  Bola Tinubu for the papal inauguration, he wrote:

“Your great nation is particularly dear to me; I served in the Apostolic Nunciature in Lagos during the 1980s.”

On a lighter note, President Tinubu notwithstanding that he is a Muslim by faith, but being liberal-minded, honored the pope’s invitation to the Vatican City. And he was looking dapper in his Savile row suit in Saint Peter’s Square with his son Seyi in tow. I do not know if l am the only one who noticed, but for the first time, l spotted a striking resemblance between father and son to the extent that it could be said that Seyi is a spitting image of his dad. Maybe President Tinubu should adorn himself in suits more often so that he may not be too stereotypical in his dress sense.

Also, the symbolism of President Tinubu meeting in Saint Peter’s Square Mr. Peter Obi, the Labor Party presidential candidate for the first time since their electoral face-off in 2023 is noteworthy. 

It reminds me of how US President Donald Trump met in the same Saint Peter’s Square with Ukrainian president Vldomir Zelensky for the first time after their not-too-friendly encounter in the White House. Equally, US Vice President J. D Vance, who appeared to have been hostile to Zelensky during the referenced Oval Office meeting, as a guest of the pope at the inauguration was also seen in a convivial posture with the embattled Ukrainian president in Saint Peter's Square. 

In light of the above, somehow, the Vatican City is fast acquiring the image of a Haven of Diplomacy and Enclave of Peace without any extraordinary effort of the new Pope Leo XIV to make the catholic church a beacon of peace as he elaborately enunciated in his inauguration speech.

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Two Millennia of Continuity—and Calls for Reform

Since Jesus entrusted the Church to Saint Peter, Catholicism has grown to more than 1.4 billion faithful (some estimates say 1.5 billion). Though often called the world’s oldest continuously functioning institution, the Church’s doctrine and leadership structures have seen relatively modest reforms—despite efforts by modernizers such as Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.

Leading nearly 18 percent of humanity makes the pope, resident in Vatican City (a sovereign state enclaved within Rome, Italy), a spiritual head of a population larger than that of China (≈1.4 billion) or India (≈1.4 billion). Were all Catholics gathered in one territory, they would form the most populous nation on earth—comparable to the combined total of Africa’s 54 countries which is roughly over l.4 billion people.

The Church’s global scope is captured in the very word catholic, from the Greek katholikós, meaning “universal” or “all‑inclusive.” The term appears in the original Greek New Testament in Acts 5:11 and Acts 9:31, though later translations rendered it simply as “church.”

It is surely within the Greek sense of katholikós—“inclusive” or “universal”—that the reforms begun by Pope Francis, and which Pope Leo XIV seems determined to continue, are being driven. The goal is to make the Church as truly universal as the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325) envisioned—even before the era of Jesus Christ, who was acclaimed as the head of the Church.

The most visible sign of reform is that the papacy is no longer the exclusive preserve of Europeans or South Americans; a North American now leads the Catholic Church. An American from Chicago has become Pope Leo XIV.

Few observers noticed the symbolism when U.S. President Donald Trump released an artificial intelligence image of himself in papal vestments. Some critics claimed he was mocking Catholicism. In truth, Trump—ever leveraging his brinksmanship—was sending a subtle signal that significant change was afoot.

Consider the timeline. After Pope Francis’s funeral on 26 April 2025, 133 cardinals from every continent entered the conclave on 7 May. In just 24 hours—and only two rounds of voting—they elected Robert Prevost of Chicago as Pope Leo XIV. 

Politics, no doubt, had been at play during the funeral period. I have no hard evidence, yet the AI image and the rapid election speak volumes.

Although the world’s four largest Catholic populations are in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United States, the Church is growing fastest in Africa and Asia. Roughly 40 million Africans joined the faith between 2022 and 2023. It is plausible—perhaps within our lifetime—that an African or Asian pope will emerge; Pope Leo XIV is still only 69.

Africa already accounts for about 20 percent of Catholics worldwide, led by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Yet the continent has no decisive voice in Church leadership. Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria was a strong contender in 2013, when Pope Francis was chosen; in the latest conclave Cardinals Peter Turkson (Ghana) and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (DRC) were also front‑runners, but none prevailed.

The College of Cardinals now includes 29 members from 23 African countries; 18 of them are electors, and all but three were appointed by Pope Francis—testimony to his influence, much as a U.S. president shapes the Supreme Court through appointments. Right now, President Donald J. Trump enjoys similar leverage in Washington.

In the United States, where Black people constitute only 14 percent of the population (versus 20 percent of global Catholics who are Black), the majority‑white electorate nonetheless accepted and elected a Black leader. In 2008, Barack Obama—son of a Kenyan father—became America’s 44th president. By contrast, the Catholic Church has yet to elect a Black pope even though Blacks constitute 20% of the 1.4 billion flock worldwide.

The larger point is that politics pervades every human enterprise; as Aristotle observed, we are “political animals.” Africa, lacking both economic and military clout, still holds the short end of the stick. Just unfair trade has relegated the continent to a supplier of raw materials, Africa has remained a victim while more powerful nations—like the United States under President Trump since 20 January 2025—have retaliated and are forcing renegotiation. Lamentably without the US type of financial and military muzzle, Africa cannot compel her exploiters to renegotiate trade with her on equal and fair terms and thus remains vulnerable.

Likewise, Africa still has no permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, even though 54 of the 193 U.N. member states are African.

With an American, renowned for championing inclusivity and equity as the pope, a Black pope may be in the making in the not-too-distant future.  

On the socioeconomic front, can the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA help to give the continent better bargaining power? And would the new world trade order being forged by President Trump open the window for Africa to get a seat at the table in the comity of nations?

Those are the pertinent questions that need to be pondered by leaders of Africa and indeed conscientious leaders of the superpower nations of the world. 

That is assuming there is still justice in this world.

Magnus Onyibe—entrepreneur, public‑policy analyst, author, democracy advocate, and development strategist

“This town is located in beautiful natural surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.” 2 Kings 2:19

It is time to break everything that has caused barrenness in your life. Barrenness is infertility, unfruitfulness, unproductiveness. While beauty is simply attractiveness, gorgeousness, well arranged, etc. So, when you see a thing looking beautiful and yet not productive, then there is a clear case of disagreement. There is a problem. And this is what some of us are currently going through in life. Your physical looks, your education, location, age, connection and even background are not in agreement with your current level and position in life. You know very well that this is not where you are supposed to be, considering the grace and endowments in your life, but you cannot say exactly what has gone wrong. It’s like something is pulling you back and you don’t know what to do to break out of the invisible barriers.  You helplessly and angrily watch people with less qualification overtake you.

Maybe, it is a family or medical condition that you cannot fully explain the cause. Some live close to the blessing, but unfortunately languish in penury, pain and sorrow. Yet, some do everything that is expected of them, but have their dreams aborted at the point of breakthrough. You experience unidentifiable forces resisting all your efforts to advance into your destiny. You cannot live the life that God wants from you. If you are going through any of these, I would like to tell you that you have come to the point of your deliverance. Today, everything that has held your life in bondage will be broken in the  name of Jesus!

This was exactly what the people of Jericho were going through. Their city was well situated. It was close to the richly-endowed River Jordan. It had streams running through it, and well secured because of its topography. But the land was barren and the water from the streams was bad; causing death, infertility and miscarriages. Terrible! What was the problem? The city was labouring under a heavy curse. Now, you remember what Joshua did after destroying the place during his time? He said that the curse of the LORD will be upon the city; that anybody that will try to rebuild it will lay the foundation with the cost of his firstborn and set up the gates with the life of his youngest child. Now, hundreds of years after, during the ungodly reign of Ahab, in disobedience, a man from Bethel called Hiel rebuilt the city. When he laid the foundation his first son, Abiram, died. And when he had finished and set up the gates, his youngest son, Segub, died. Presumably, his other children had died in between. So, Jericho has been labouring under this terrible curse until this particular encounter with Elisha the prophet. Before we continue, please get my books Breaking Generational Curses: Claiming Your Freedom and Power of Midnight Prayer by Gabriel Agbo now, so that you can fully appreciate what we are discussing here.

The prophet Elisha was just fresh from receiving the anointing from the ‘Prophet of Fire’ Elijah, when the elders of the city, with tears, ran to him seeking for help, “We have a problem, my lord…,’ They told him all they were going through. And prophetically, the man of God ordered them to bring a new bowl with salt. He went to the spring that supplied water to the town and threw the salt saying, “This is what the LORD says: I have made this water wholesome. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” And immediately the water and land were healed from that day. Praise God! Thank God the people and the elders of Jericho recognized that they had a problem and went to the right place.

What is your problem? What is happening in your life? Your relationships, Job and Family? What is happening to your nation? Are they beautifully situated by unproductive?? Are you labouring without a commensurate result? Are you toiling through the night without a catch? I just remembered Peter. He toiled all night without catching any fish. But when Jesus came into the situation, the story changed. Today, I pray that very curse over you be broken in the mighty name of Jesus! God wants you to be fruitful. God said that it is his wish that every part of your life be productive and prosperous. Till next week. God bless!

Grumbling about banks’ profit is a favourite Nigerian pastime that gets louder and louder in the first quarter of the year when their financial performance for the previous year is announced. But lately, the grumblers have shifted attention to bank charges, with some arguing that the lenders are too profitable and should waive these deductions from customers’ accounts. ‘’How do the banks make so much profit while the rest of the economy is collapsing?’’; ‘’Banks are stealing from their customers through dubious charges;’’ and ‘’Let’s boycott Bank XYZ…’’ are some of the commonest protestations.

On Wednesday, May 14, The Guardian published an article with a rather ghoulish title, ‘’The blood profits of Nigerian banks’’, written by Dr. Emmanuel Owhoko, identified as a public policy analyst, author and journalist. The piece drips with obvious irritations about banks’ ‘’growing quest for abnormal profits through use of arbitrary charges, devoid of empathy for emotional state of customers’’. It suggests that bankers are just a lazy bunch that does nothing other than to debit customers’ accounts and convert the proceeds into huge profits. But the essay is based on ignorant assumptions and poor knowledge of the operations of banks. As a former banker, I feel compelled to intervene in a very simple manner.

First, why do banks make so much profit? The reason is simple. Their unique role and peculiar functions confer on them some advantages that other industries don’t have. A typical bank sells a wide range of services to millions of customers every day and night, including weekends and public holidays. Such a business will most likely be profitable unless it is mismanaged. A top tier Nigerian bank has millions of customers (Access Bank has over 60 million, for example) and each of these customers has one thing or the other to buy from their bank. Even if you have a savings account from which you rarely make withdrawals, your bank is making money off you by lending your money at a higher interest rate than it’s paying you. It’s called financial intermediation; and it’s the main reason a bank exists and the core source of its income.

In addition to lending (and there are many types of it), banks also offer a wide range of other services such as financial advisory; wealth management; investment banking; foreign exchange services, etc, to millions of its customers and get paid for them. In some cases, a bank is part of a holding company that offers a lot more varied and diversified services such as insurance; pensions; fintechs and payments. It therefore follows that almost every adult person, including students, is in a regular need of one banking service or the other. Such inevitability offers the industry unique benefits that can only translate onto profits.

Unlike a manufacturing business, a bank does not import raw materials; has no complex machines and conveyor belts that break down; does not pay customs and excise duties for spares and inputs and does not deal with the problems of unsold goods, huge inventory costs and products recall. The peculiarity of banking business and its inherent advantage became clearer last year. While many Nigerian manufacturers with dollar-denominated loans suffered huge losses due to Naira depreciation, banks actually recorded fat gains from their massive dollar holdings.

A bank simply makes the bulk of its revenues from financial intermediation – taking money from the surplus side and giving it the deficit side with a margin. So, consider a bank with a loan book of N500 billion at an average interest rate of 20%. How much interest income is that? There is no business as lucrative as money lending, right from history; and there’s no reason for a bank not be profitable, unless it is mismanaged. But banking is also a very risky business (actually, the technical name for a loan is ‘’risk asset’’) with its own peculiar challenges. Many banks, including some very big ones overseas have failed. Nigeria has also recorded many cases of bank failures. One bad loan can almost sink a bank. This is why it is a highly regulated industry.

Dr. Owhoko writes in his article which I referred to earlier: ‘’Implicitly, these charges constitute huge burden on the average bank customer who contends daily with depletion in his or her account balances. Corporate customers or businesses are also not spared from these questionable charges that have become a drain on the balance sheet of companies’’. A bank is a commercial and profit-oriented business whose services and activities are well regulated. A bank must stay profitable, safe, sound and stable. To that extent, Banks and other Financial Industry Act (BOFIA), the law that guides banking businesses, stipulates that all services provided by a bank must be paid for by the customer. In other words, there’s no free lunch in the banking hall. A customer - whether corporate or individual – should never expect to obtain free services from a bank. The charges that Dr. Owhoko and many others complain so stridently about are just the cost you pay for the services your bank renders to you.

I often wonder why the same people who whine about bank charges are eager to pay various telecommunications charges; cable TV subscription; dry cleaning bills; air tickets; restaurant bills and other sundry obligations without complaints, but are quick to bicker over bank charges. Are banks charity organizations? Don’t they understand the risks involved in keeping trillions of customers’ deposit safe? If you think that bank charges are too high, you may wish to consider keeping your money at home and watch it grow!

A bank provides the safest and most reliable place to keep your financial treasures. But it comes with huge costs to the banks. Charges on customers’ account are therefore meant to help offset these costs so that the banks could continue to operate in a safe, sound and stable manner. The idea that these charges, which are typically in small amounts, are the main sources of banks' profit is erroneous. Banks make the bulk of their income from interest earned on loans, investments and other assets. Minor debits like account maintenance fees and SMS charges constitute a small portion of the bottom line.

Nigerian banks should be commended for their important roles in the economy. They provide funding for big and small businesses like Dangote Industries; the airline industry; manufacturing sector; public sector and even small businesses like schools; restaurants or a corner shop. Instead of bellyaching over minor charges, Nigerians should ask their governments to provide security, stable electricity and adequate infrastructure that banks spend so much to provide.

Etim, a retired banker, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Policy and Politics

In today’s Nigerian church, particularly within Pentecostal circles, the phrase “Born Again” has been reduced to a tired cliché, frequently declared but deeply misunderstood. For many self-acclaimed ministers of God, being born again is nothing more than quitting smoking, dropping the bottle, and walking away from illicit affairs. They flaunt these changes like badges of spiritual honour, parading them as the ultimate evidence of salvation.

But let us be clear:”Born Againism” is not behaviour modification, it is heart transformation. The idea that one can claim spiritual rebirth just by avoiding a few visible vices is not only misleading, but it also trivializes the profound message of Jesus Christ. The Saviour did not endure Calvary just so men could stop smoking and drinking. He died to radically change the heart of man, not merely his habits.

Too many self-proclaimed ministers preach a gospel of surface-level change. To them, being born again means looking “clean,” praying loudly, dressing modestly, and shouting “Hallelujah” at every opportunity. Their sermons obsess over alcohol, trousers, hairstyles, and nightclubs, while ignoring the weightier matters; pride, corruption, bitterness, tribalism, and greed. These ministers major in the minors and overlook the transformative depth of genuine salvation.

Let us not forget the words of Jesus in John 3:3, when He said to Nicodemus: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” That is not a call to switch from cigarettes to chewing gum. It is a divine mandate for spiritual rebirth, one that breaks the old nature and births a new creation entirely. As Paul affirms in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The tragedy is that many pastors who shout about abstinence are themselves drowning in spiritual filth, manipulating congregants, hoarding wealth, engaging in tribal politics, and nursing unforgiveness. Some of them would not touch alcohol but would not hesitate to break a home or exploit the vulnerable. What hypocrisy!

Jesus warned about this kind of religious pretense in Matthew 23:25-26: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

That warning might as well be addressed to today’s spiritual showmen, those who abstain from wine but are intoxicated with power, who avoid women but seduce followers with false prophecies and manipulated dreams. They have replaced the authentic gospel with a hollow performance.

Let us face it: even cultists and scammers can quit alcohol and womanizing. Some do it to maintain their edge. But salvation is not about changing habits for convenience; it is about changing allegiance, from self to Christ, from darkness to light.

In Nigeria, the “born again” label has become cosmetic. It is more about how you dress, how you sound when you pray, and whether you attend vigil or not. We now judge spirituality by appearance, not by fruit. Meanwhile, those who carry Bibles to the office still inflate contracts, collect bribes, and treat subordinates with disdain.

Some pastors go as far as policing appearances, monitoring skirt lengths and makeup shades, yet remain silent about gossip, unforgiveness, tribal hate, and political compromise within their own ranks. Is this the gospel of Christ or a man-made religion that only targets what the eyes can see?

If being born again does not affect how you treat your spouse, how you handle money, how you conduct business, or how you lead others, then you are not born again, you are just well-behaved.

It is time to confront self-acclaimed ministers of God and call them to accountability. The gospel must not be reduced to a three-point checklist of “I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and I don’t womanize.” That is religion, not regeneration. That is morality, not spirituality.

Born againism must touch every sphere of a person’s life: how you think, how you forgive, how you speak, how you handle authority, and how you respond when no one is watching. It must reflect in your politics, your business, your family, and your daily conduct. Anything less is a poor imitation.

Philippians 2:5 charges believers: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” That is the ultimate benchmark. Not what you quit, but who you have become.

To every pastor and preacher who thinks abstaining from beer and sex makes one born again: you are leading people into deception. Preach Christ, not cosmetics. Teach transformation, not tradition. Point people to the cross, not a code of conduct.

Born againism is a divine encounter, not a checklist. It is time to return to the true gospel, deep, sincere, and life-altering.

And to the man or woman who claims to be born again yet is still full of pride, bitterness, and hypocrisy: stop fooling yourself. Real salvation changes the heart, not just the habits. So, let the Church wake up, and let the ministers stop lying to themselves.