In an extraordinary twist of fate, Tongan Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi will join an elite group of 133 cardinals next week to elect the next leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
His participation marks the culmination of a remarkable journey that traces back to his grandfather’s humble pilgrimage to Rome over a century ago.
Mafi and Cardinal John Ribat from Papua New Guinea (PNG), two representatives from the Pacific Islands, which host only a small fraction of the global Catholic population, will have significant influence in the conclave.
The numbers alone make their roles extraordinary. PNG’s 2 million Catholics represent just 0.1% of the worldwide faithful, yet Cardinal Ribat will account for 0.8% of the electoral college.
For Tonga, with fewer than 14,000 Catholics in one of the world’s smallest dioceses, Cardinal Mafi’s participation borders on the miraculous.
Tongan scholar Dr Felise Tāvō shared a historical story about Cardinal Mafi’s paternal grandfather.
In 1913, Bishop Epikopō Tipanio of Tonga brought a 20-year-old layman, Maletino Mafi, to Rome for an audience with Pope Pius X, he said.
That young man, Cardinal Mafi’s grandfather, could scarcely have imagined his descendant would one day help choose a pope.
“At the Vatican, they were granted an audience with Pope Pius X on Wednesday, July 30, 1913. They then left France for Oceania on October 16, 1913.”
Dr Tāvō said: “Perhaps young Maletino might have merely prayed at the tomb of St. Peter for him or one of his progeny to become a priest, but as is always the case, God has a better plan!”
As the College of Cardinals prepares to gather, pundits marvel at the unlikely prominence of these Pacific voices.
For Tongans, Mafi’s role is a point of national pride, a divine thread weaving through generations.
The conclave begins Monday, with the world watching as history unfolds.
