Parishioners are waiting to see who will become the next Pope for the Catholic Church. 

Father Jovita Okoli understands their considerations well. 

The human side wants what it wants, but the 56-year-old realizes it is not best for the Church.

Best for the Church

"It's not just about where that person is coming from," Okoli said. "It's more about who is gonna be the best for the church at this moment, irrespective of where that person comes from."

Okoli is assigned to All Saints Catholic Church. The Nigerian native came on a mission to the Catholic Diocese of Dallas in 2012.

Engrossed in Catholicism

His life has been engrossed in Catholicism for as long as he can remember. Okoli recalled telling his parents when he was six that he wanted to be a priest. Three popes later, he is living out those words and awaiting the announcement of the new pontiff.

The transition hasn't been easy, he said.

"From the priest's perspective, it's not really a very smooth one," he said. "Let me start with liturgy, too. Even this morning, I messed up a little bit. I still, in our prayer, thought about Francis, our pope. But then you're not supposed to do that. Once the pope is dead."

That could all change any day or after many days; no one is certain. He said the Holy Spirit leads the secret process even as lists of frontrunners emerge from the cardinals at the conclave. Some of the leading candidates mentioned are from Africa.

God sees everything

"And one funny thing is, they never get it right. They never get it right. Because the word of God is not the word of men," he said. "God sees everything."

Okoli said his African colleagues have talked about how great it would be to have a Black African pope to lead the booming Catholic population in his native Africa. But he said human desires like that are selfish. The speculation is unfruitful.

Prayer for God's will

"I don't think I will ever do that, because that means I'm going beyond the Holy Spirit. My prayer has always been, God, let your will be done," he said. "God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, may the Church get a pope who is right for this time."

History shows three popes of African descent: Pope Victor I, Pope Miltiades, and Pope Gelasius I.