Which cardinals are seen as contenders to be the next pope?

VATICAN CITY – A fashionable saying successful Vatican circles is that if you “enter a conclave arsenic pope, you permission arsenic a cardinal.”

It implies the ineffable and secretive process is nary popularity contention oregon campaign, but alternatively the divinely inspired predetermination of Christ’s Vicar connected Earth by the princes of the church.

Still, determination are ever front-runners, known arsenic “papabile,” who person astatine slightest immoderate of the qualities considered indispensable to beryllium pope — overmuch similar those depicted successful past year's Oscar-nominated movie “Conclave.”

Any baptized Catholic antheral is eligible, though lone cardinals person been selected since 1378. The victor indispensable person astatine slightest two-thirds of the ballot from those cardinals nether property 80 and frankincense eligible to participate. Pope Francis, who died Monday, appointed the immense bulk of electors, often tapping men who stock his pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity alternatively than rupture.

Anyone trying to handicap the result should retrieve that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered excessively aged to beryllium elected pope successful 2013 astatine property 76, and that Karol Wojtyla wasn’t connected immoderate front-runner lists going into the 1978 conclave that elected him Pope John Paul II.

Some imaginable candidates:

Cardinal Peter Erdo

Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest and primate of Hungary, was doubly elected caput of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, successful 2005 and 2011, suggesting helium enjoys the esteem of European cardinals who marque up the biggest voting bloc of electors. In that capacity, Erdo got to cognize galore African cardinals due to the fact that the assembly hosts regular sessions with African bishops’ conferences. Erdo had adjacent much vulnerability erstwhile helium helped signifier Francis’ 2014 and 2015 Vatican meetings connected the household and delivered cardinal speeches, arsenic good arsenic during papal visits to Budapest successful 2021 and 2023.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx

Marx, 71, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, was chosen by Francis arsenic a cardinal advisor successful 2013. Marx aboriginal was named to caput the assembly overseeing Vatican finances during reforms and belt-tightening. The erstwhile president of the German bishops’ league was a beardown proponent of the arguable “synodal path” process of dialog successful the German religion that began successful 2020 arsenic a effect to the clergy intersexual maltreatment scandal there. As a result, helium is viewed with skepticism by conservatives who considered the process a menace to religion unity, fixed it progressive debating issues specified arsenic celibacy, homosexuality and women’s ordination. Marx made headlines successful 2021 erstwhile helium dramatically offered to resign arsenic archbishop to atone for the German church’s dreadful maltreatment record, but Francis rapidly rejected the resignation and told him to stay.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet

Ouellet, 80, of Canada, led the Vatican’s influential bishops bureau for implicit a decade, overseeing the cardinal clearinghouse for imaginable candidates to caput dioceses astir the world. Francis kept Ouellet successful the occupation until 2023, adjacent though helium was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, and frankincense helped prime the much doctrinaire bishops preferred by the German pontiff. Considered much of a blimpish than Francis, Ouellet inactive selected pastorally minded bishops to bespeak Francis’ content that bishops should “smell similar the sheep” of their flock. Ouellet defended priestly celibacy for the Latin Rite religion and upheld the prohibition connected women’s ordination but called for women to person a greater relation successful religion governance. He has bully contacts with the Latin American church, having headed the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Latin America for implicit a decade. Since 2019, his bureau has taken complaint of investigating bishops accused of covering up for predator priests, a occupation that would person made him nary friends among those sanctioned but besides could person fixed him tons of different confidential and perchance compromising accusation astir chap cardinals.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Parolin, 70, of Italy, has been Francis’ caput of authorities since 2014 and is considered 1 of the main contenders to beryllium pope, fixed his prominence successful the Catholic hierarchy. The seasoned diplomat oversaw the Holy See’s arguable deal with China implicit bishop nominations and was progressive -- but not charged -- successful the Vatican’s botched concern successful a London existent property task that led to a 2021 proceedings of different cardinal and 9 others. A erstwhile ambassador to Venezuela, Parolin knows the Latin American religion well. He would beryllium seen arsenic idiosyncratic who would proceed successful Francis’ contented but arsenic a much sober and timid diplomatic insider, returning an Italian to the papacy aft 3 successive outsiders: St. John Paul II (Poland); Benedict (Germany) and Francis (Argentina). But portion Parolin has managed the Vatican bureaucracy, helium has nary existent pastoral experience. His ties to the London scandal, successful which his bureau mislaid of tens of millions of dollars to atrocious deals and shady businessmen, could number against him.

Cardinal Robert Prevost

The thought of an American pope has agelong been taboo, fixed the geopolitical powerfulness already wielded by the United States. But the Chicago-born Prevost, 69, could beryllium a first. He has extended acquisition successful Peru, archetypal arsenic a missionary and past an archbishop, and helium is presently prefect of the Vatican’s almighty dicastery for bishops, successful complaint of vetting nominations for bishops astir the world. Francis intelligibly had an oculus connected him for years and sent him to tally the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, successful 2014. He held that presumption until 2023, erstwhile Francis brought him to Rome for his existent role. Prevost is besides president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a occupation that keeps him successful regular interaction with the Catholic hierarchy successful the portion of the satellite that inactive counts the astir Catholics. In summation to his nationality, Prevost’s comparative younker could number against him if his member cardinals don’t privation to perpetrate to a pope who mightiness reign for different 2 decades.

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Sarah, 79, of Guinea, the retired caput of the Vatican’s liturgy office, was agelong considered the champion anticipation for an African pope. Beloved by conservatives, Sarah would awesome a instrumentality to the doctrinaire and liturgically minded papacies of John Paul II and Benedict. Sarah, who had antecedently headed the Vatican’s foundation bureau Cor Unum, clashed connected respective occasions with Francis, nary much earnestly than erstwhile he and Benedict co-authored a book advocating the “necessity” of continued celibacy for Latin Rite priests. The publication came retired arsenic Francis was weighing whether to let joined priests successful the Amazon to code a clergyman shortage there. The accusation was that Sarah had manipulated Benedict into lending his sanction and motivation authorization to a publication that had each the appearances of being a counterweight to the Francis' ain teaching. Francis dismissed Benedict’s caput and respective months aboriginal retired Sarah aft helium turned 75. Even Sarah’s supporters lamented the occurrence wounded his papal chances.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn

Schoenborn, 80, the archbishop of Vienna, Austria, was a pupil of Benedict's, and frankincense connected insubstantial seems to person the doctrinaire world chops to entreaty to conservatives. However, helium became associated with 1 of Francis’ astir arguable moves by defending his outreach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics arsenic an “organic improvement of doctrine,” not the rupture that immoderate conservatives contended. Schoenborn’s parents divorced erstwhile helium was a teen, truthful the contented is personal. He besides took vigor from the Vatican erstwhile helium criticized its past refusal to authorisation high-ranking intersexual abusers, including his predecessor arsenic archbishop of Vienna. Schoenborn has expressed enactment for civilian unions and women arsenic deacons, and was instrumental successful editing the 1992 update of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the handbook of the church’s teaching that Benedict had spearheaded erstwhile helium headed the Vatican’s doctrine office.

Cardinal Luis Tagle

Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, would look to beryllium Francis’ prime for the archetypal Asian pope. Francis brought the fashionable archbishop of Manila to Rome to caput the Vatican’s missionary evangelization office, which serves the needs of the Catholic Church successful overmuch of Asia and Africa. His relation took connected greater value erstwhile Francis reformed the Vatican bureaucracy and raised the value of his evangelization office. Tagle often cites his Chinese lineage – his maternal grandma was portion of a Chinese household that moved to the Philippines -- and helium is known for becoming affectional erstwhile discussing his childhood. Though helium has pastoral, Vatican and absorption acquisition -- helium headed the Vatican’s Caritas Internationalis federation of foundation groups earlier coming to Rome permanently -- Tagle would beryllium connected the young broadside to beryllium elected pope for life, with cardinals possibly preferring an older campaigner whose papacy would beryllium much limited.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

Zuppi, 69, the archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian bishops conference, elected successful 2022, is intimately affiliated with the Sant’Egidio Community, a Rome-based Catholic foundation that was influential nether Francis, peculiarly successful interfaith dialogue. Zuppi was portion of Sant’Egidio’s squad that helped negociate the extremity of Mozambique’s civilian warfare successful the 1990s and was named Francis' peace envoy for Russia's warfare successful Ukraine. Francis made him a cardinal successful 2019 and aboriginal made wide helium wanted him successful complaint of Italy’s bishops, a motion of his admiration for the prelate who, similar Francis, is known arsenic a “street priest.” In different motion of his progressive leanings and closeness to Francis, Zuppi wrote the instauration to the Italian variation of “Building a Bridge,” by the Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit, astir the church’s request to amended its outreach to the LGBTQ+ community. Zuppi would beryllium a campaigner successful Francis’ contented of ministering to those connected the margins, though his comparative younker would number against him for cardinals seeking a abbreviated papacy. His household had beardown organization ties: Zuppi’s begetter worked for the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano, and his parent was the niece of Cardinal Carlo Confalonieri, dean of the College of Cardinals successful the 1960s and 1970s.

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