Will the next Vatican Pope be black? This question was raised recently because of the bad health conditions of Pope John II. There are a lot of rumors which say that Pope John will resign after the celebration of the beginning of the third millennium due to his old age and his bad health. There appear to be seven Cardinals who are standing for his position. The most prominent figures are two African Cardinals; one of them is the head of the committee for dialogue between the Vatican and Al-Azhar.