Topline
Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will soon close the doors of the Sistine Chapel to select a successor to Pope Francis in the conclave ballot process, voting to select a new pontiff, with these cardinals suspected to be among the top candidates.
Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, died after leading the Roman Catholic Church for 12 … More
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Key Facts
Jean-Marc Aveline (France): The archbishop of Marseille, France, became a cardinal in 2022 and holds similar beliefs to Francis, despite having cautioned about blessing same-sex couples. Aveline, 66, is known among French media for his resemblance to Pope John XXIII, and Francis quipped in 2021 his successor would be named Pope John XXIV in 2025.
Peter Erdo (Hungary): Erdo, 71, the archbishop of Budapest and Hungary’s primate, is among the top candidates for pontiff, the Associated Press reports, after he was named the head of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences in 2005 and 2011, an earlier role that could help him draw more votes among voting European cardinals. Erdo has said there are “absolutely no grounds” for considering same-sex marriages “in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family,” and Erdo appeared to oppose Francis’ call for churches to support migrants in 2015.
Pietro Parolin (Italy): Parolin, 70, was appointed the Vatican’s Secretary of State by Francis in 2014, and he will likely be seen as a candidate to succeed Francis because of his respect among secular diplomats, including for his negotiations with China and several Middle East countries, according to Vatican analysts. Parolin was involved in reaching an agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government in 2018, though the Vatican was criticized for “selling out” to China’s communist government.
Marc Ouellet (Canada): Ouellet, 80, was reportedly among the top candidates for pope in 2005 and 2013 and will likely be another contender in 2025, according to the Associated Press, as Ouellet has controlled the Vatican’s bishop office for over a decade. Ouellet leans conservative and opposes same-sex marriages and ordaining women as deacons, saying in 2021 that men and women should not be “placed completely on the same level from the point of view of ministry.”
Luis Tagle (Philippines): Alberto Melloni, a historian based in Rome, told The Washington Post that Tagle, 67, was once considered to be Francis’ “rising star” while serving as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Philippines, and Tagle has previously criticized “harsh” and “severe” rhetoric used by clerics to describe the LGTBQ+ community, divorced people and unwed mothers.
Matteo Zuppi (Italy): Zuppi, 69, became the archbishop of Bologna, Italy, in 2015 and is known for his similarities to Francis, including a focus on migrants and the poor, Reuters reported, and he has defended Francis’ decision to bless same-sex couples. Zuppi is among the more progressive candidates for pontiff and is known for a “street priest” persona, like Francis, because he supports the poor and disenfranchised, though he opposes ordaining women as deacons and priests.
Fridolin Ambongo (Congo): Ambongo, 65, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was named a cardinal by Francis in 2019 and has since been considered one of his possible successors, The New York Times reports. Ambongo is one of nine members of the Council of Cardinals, an advisory group to Francis, and he led an opposition to Francis’ ruling in 2023 that churches should bless same-sex couples, writing “unions of persons of the same sex” are considered “intrinsically evil.”
Robert Sarah (Guinea): Sarah, 79, is a prelate from Guinea and the former head of the Vatican’s liturgy office who has been considered a possible successor to Francis for years. Sarah is among the more conservative-leaning prospects and has opposed blessing same-sex couples, referring to the blessings as “heresy” and same-sex couples as “irregular,” while he has also reportedly called abortion the “greatest tragedy of our time” and previously warned about the “threat” of Islam.
Mario Grech (Malta): The secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Grech, 68, shared largely conservative views before Francis was elected pope in 2013. In 2014, Grech called on the church to be more accepting of LGBTQ+ members, saying at the time Catholic rhetoric was harmful to LGBTQ+ members, and later expressed support for women as deacons.
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Could An American Be Named Pope?
It’s unlikely an American-born cardinal will be named pope, though Robert Prevost, 69, could be among the candidates reportedly under consideration. Prevost, a Chicago native, was named prefect of the Vatican’s bishop office by Francis in 2023 and was later promoted to cardinal. Joseph Tobin, the 72-year-old archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is likely also under consideration, Reuters reported.
Who Else Could Succeed Pope Francis?
Vatican analysts suspect nearly two dozen cardinals are among the papabili, or those who could be named pontiff. Other cardinals reportedly under consideration include: Anders Arborelius, the bishop of Stockholm; Charles Maung Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar; François-Xavier Bustillo, the bishop of Ajaccio, France; Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the 60-year-old Italian who serves as the Vatican’s top official for Middle East affairs; and Juan Jose Omella, the archbishop of Barcelona, among others.
How Is The Next Pope Elected?
Cardinals under the age of 80 will lock themselves in the Sistine Chapel between 15 and 20 days after Francis’ death to begin the election process, suggesting this period could begin on May 6. The “papal conclave” must reach a two-thirds majority of votes to name a new pope. If a vote is taken but does not meet this threshold, black smoke will be emitted from the chapel, signaling a failed vote, while white smoke indicates a new pope has been selected. The process usually takes a few days to complete, though Francis was chosen after roughly 24 hours.
Key Background
Francis, an Argentine native formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died at age 88 on Monday, the Vatican announced. He was elected pontiff in 2013 after Benedict XVI, who died in December 2022 at age 95, became the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years. Francis chose his name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, a 12th-century figure known for renouncing his wealth and opting to live in poverty. Time Magazine named Francis “The People’s Pope” in 2013 amid his reputation for living a simpler life, including opting out of his predecessor’s fashion and living in a modest suite while serving as pontiff. During his 12-year tenure, Francis urged church members to welcome LGBTQ Catholics and criticized laws that criminalized homosexuality, though a document approved by Francis rejected “gender theory” and opposed gender-affirming surgeries. The Vatican declared in 2023 that priests could bless same-sex couples, but Francis appeared to walk this back, saying, “I don’t bless a ‘same-sex marriage,’ I bless two people who love each other and I also ask them to pray for me.” Francis also called to protect immigrants, criticized the church for being “obsessed” with abortion and spoke in favor of women having a greater role in the church, despite arguing they should not be priests.
Further Reading
Pope Francis—A Moderate Voice For Catholicism—Dies At 88 (Forbes)
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