Following the death of Pope Francis, cardinals will soon gather to elect the person who will lead 1.3 billion baptised Roman Catholics that dot the globe. The College of Cardinals, charged with electing the new Pope, among others, will assemble in Rome in the next fortnight to choose Pope Francis’s successor. There are more than 250 cardinals from more than 90 countries, but only 135 are cardinal electors. Of these, about 110 were chosen by Pope Francis in the past 10 years,
Cardinals are, however, torn between choosing a candidate who will advance Pope Francis’s progressive agenda and a conservative candidate who will protect the traditional church’s teachings and doctrines. Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, overhauled the composition of the body that will elect his successor. During his pontificate, the Argentine made the body more representative of the worldwide church.
Specifically, he threw out the old, unwritten rulebook that bishops of certain dioceses (several of them in Italy) would automatically be made cardinals and instead gave red hats to bishops in parts of the world that had never had them before, such as Tonga, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea.
Only a few cardinals have the requisite skills, experience, and personality suitable to lead the Roman Catholic Church. But who are they?
Cardinal Pieto Parolin. Holy See Secretary of State
Cardinal Pieto Parolin. Holy See Secretary of State
Born in January 17th, 1955, Cardinal Pieto Parolin 70, an Italian prelate, diplomat, and a well-known figure at the Roman Catholic Church, is among the likely favoured contenders and one of the front runners. He was close to Pope Francis and many believe that given his experience and extensive knowledge of the global church, he is best suited to serve in this position.
He was the Cardinal Secretary of the State, the head of the Secretariat of State in the Roman Curia, [Papal court at the Vatican] the Vatican’s governing body. The Secretariat is the oldest and most important Dicastery of the Roman Curia. He was appointed by the Pope and has served in this position since 2013. A Cardinal Secretary of the State serves as one of the Pope’s principal advisors.
Cardinal Parolin was charged with all the Holy See’s diplomatic and political functions of the Holy See. He has been actively involved in the ongoing negotiations between the Vatican government and the Chinese government to improve relations between the Holy See and China. As an outspoken prelate, he has rebuked the US President’s plan on Gaza and some of President Trump’s policies.
In a recent interview with an Italian newspaper La Republica, on international issues and President Donald Trump’s policies and multilateralism, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Gaza, he said the Holy See is concerned about the risk of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, which could cause further suffering and new victims and that they could only break the spiral of war through dialogue. “It is clear that the current US Administration’s approach is very different from what we are used to,” Cardinal Parolin said, adding: “The Holy See always strives to place the human person at the centre, and many vulnerable people are suffering enormously for example, due to cuts in humanitarian aid.”
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Leader of the Vatican office for evangelisation
Fondly referred to as ‘Asian Pope Francis” because of his close association with the pastoral duties of the Francis pontificate, the media and Catholic faithful consider Cardinal Tagle a strong favourite. The Filipino Cardinal, in case elected, would be the first Asian Pope and one of the youngest contenders to the papacy.
Asia is a region with the fastest-growing Catholic population. Aged 67, Tangle’s crusade on inclusion and evangelization of people gives him an edge over others. With Catholicism growing rapidly across the globe, particularly in the Philippines, Tagle’s Asian heritage qualifies him for the global church role. His humility and humbleness can’t go unnoticed as he has impacted the lives of many. He led the church’s global charitable arm.
He was hand various tasks which he executed diligently and through his evangelisation work, he was able to interact with leaders of the various churches in the developing world. The former Archbishop of Manila has, however, faulted the Catholic Church, saying it's too harsh on gays and remarried Catholics. He believes they should be allowed to receive Holy Communion on a case-by-case basis. Pope Francis also fired his leadership from Karitas following an internal review process that allegedly unearthed management and morale issues.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, Italy
Also known as the ‘street bishop’, Zuppi is the president of the Episcopal conference. He has been Archbishop of Bologna since 2015. Pope Francis elevated him to the level of Cardinal in 2019. According to Wikipedia, Zuppi was one of the four mediators of the two-year-long Rome-based peace negotiations that resulted in the Rome General Peace Accords, which helped end the civil war in Mozambique.
He was thereafter conferred upon the title of an Honorary Citizen of that country. Pope Francis named him auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rome and titular bishop of Villa Nova in 2012 while he appointed him Archbishop of Bologna in 2015. Because of his high repute and strong diplomatic ties, Pope Francis asked him to lead a peace mission for Ukraine in 2023.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Leader of the Vatican’s social justice office
He was very close to Pope Francis and has been very instrumental in the main preparations for his descent burial. A child of migrants and an advocate for social justices, the Czech-born Canadian Jesuit was the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He is a key advocate for environmental protection.
According to the College of Cardinals report, Czerny has been deeply involved in social justice initiatives throughout his career, which has won him massive support. While he may not be a darling to some, he is said to have strong organisational skills and global experience. On October 4, 2019, Czerny was consecrated titular archbishop of Benevento by Pope Francis, who on October 5 promoted him to cardinal deacon of St Michael the Archangel.
Peter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest-Hungary
A respected Church lawyer and the Hungarian cardinal is very popular amongst the conservative cardinals who have vehemently opposed Pope Francis’s controversial reforms. He is a strong champion for traditional Catholic teachings and doctrines. Erdő is a multilingual speaker of German, Italian, French, Spanish, English, and his native Hungarian. He was elected president of the Hungarian Catholic Episcopal Conference in 2005. Since 2003 he has participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, with the special honour given by Pope Francis to serve as relator for the synods of 2014 and 2015. As an author, he has written more than 250 articles and 25 books.
Angelo Scola (Italy) 82
He was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, philosopher and theologian. He was also Archbishop of Millan from 2011 to 12017. He received from Pope Benedict the pallium of Metropolitan Archbishop of Millan. He was a darling in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis and Italian bishops were confident that he would be appointed Pope then. He is one of the conservatives and this could win him votes from those who want to digress from Pope Francis’s reforms.
Peter Turkson
Peter Turkson (Ghana), 76
He is a former head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He has been a champion of social justice, climate change, poverty and economic justice. If by any luck he is appointed Pope, he would become the first black Pope in centuries.
Jose Tolentino Calaca de Mendonca, 59, Portugal
He belongs to the progressive wing of the church and is an admirer of Pope Francis. He is also one the youngest members of the College of Cardinals and according to the College of Cardinals report, he spent his early years in Angola, where his father worked as a fisherman. He is a poet, biblical scholar, and an educator in his native Portugal. He was close to Pope Francis and played an instrumental role within the College of Cardinals.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops
He was an Augustinian missionary serving as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru and was appointed new prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops. Due to the trust he had in him, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for bishops in January 2023 and he was given the mandate to select bishops. In the same year, he was promised the rank of cardinal. His reign is marked by achievements.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David
He is a bishop of Kalookan. He is popular for pushing for social justice and outreach programmes for the poor.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa
He would be the first African Pope in many centuries. He is a promoter of social justice and speaks for the voiceless. He is outspoken and a critique of government.
