For years, the consensus was that an American pope would never fly. Since the US overtook the British Empire as the world’s pre-eminent political and economic power, the consensus has been that an American pontiff would concentrate too much power in one country, while a non-American head of the Catholic Church would offer some counterweight to US influence. Smarting Europeans and wary Latin Americans would, the consensus went, be especially wary of electing a pope from the US. But times change. Today, the US faces the prospect of relative decline, as the threat of war hangs over the country, not least from the People’s Republic of China. While a heavy blow to US influence, this could open the door for an American pope, as Europeans and Latin Americans – as well as others from the Global South (already hugely represented among the College of Cardinals) – warm up to the idea.