Vatican: Who will be Pope? Speculation is already running

The customs are not necessarily better in the power apparatus of the Catholic Church than elsewhere. Pope Francis’ successor has already been speculated in the past few weeks when he was still alive. In theory, there are now 137 men who can become Pontifex: all cardinals that were not yet 80 years old at the time of his death. More than 100 cardinals are external due to exceeding the age limit.

However, as “papabiles” – the people who have the stature to become a pope – are significantly less discussed: all in all about two dozen. Many of the Italians Pietro Parolin are the favorite. Because Francis has appointed many new cardinals from distant countries that do not know each other very well, the choice is probably even more open this time than with earlier complies.

And basically the old saying applies: “Chi Entra Papa ner Conclave, a riser cardinal” (“Whoever goes into the conclave as a Pope comes out as a cardinal”). So there can be surprises. Nevertheless, an overview of the most mentioned candidates:

The 70 -year -old Northern Italian from near Venice has been number two in the Vatican for more than a decade. Francis raised the studied diplomat and doctor of church law shortly after his election as Secretary of Cardinal State. Since then, slogan has been running the shops at his side. He also represented it when Francis was in the hospital. Parolin never raised doubts about his loyalty.

The Italian is considered very powerful – otherwise you don’t get far in the curia. With the conclave, he will now have an outstanding role either way: Usually the election assembly in the Sistine Chapel is led by the Dean of the Cardinals. The current dean and also its vice are already over 80 and therefore too old. That is why it is the turn of the ranking cardinal: slogan.

Pierbattista pizzaballa

As a patriarch of Jerusalem and thus the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, the Italian leads one of the most difficult dioceses in the world. In the country of birth of Jesus Christ, Christians often stand between the fronts. PizzaBalla sees itself as a bridge builder in the Middle East conflict, despite all the difficulties.

PizzaBalla comes from the Franciscan religious community. At the age of 60, the clergyman who was born in Italy’s north near Bergamo is one of the youngest in the circle of candidates mentioned. That can speak for him – but also against him.

As chairman of the Italian bishops’ conference, the 69-year-old is one of the central figures in the Vatican. The bishop from Bologna is considered to be well networked and very influential. In addition, he currently has one of the most demanding posts that are to be awarded: As a special envoy, he has been taking care of conveying in the war between Russia and Ukraine for almost three years – so far without great success.

More than once recently, his diplomatic skill was asked when Francis once again made headlines, for example with statements about the war in Ukraine. Zuppi is also closely linked to the Comunità Sant’egidio, which was repeatedly active for the Vatican in intermediary functions.

The primas of Hungary, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, is considered a conservative church man among the cardinals traded as “papabiles”. The 72-year-old is particularly known for his traditional attitude in many church issues and had Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI. A good relationship. Francis’ reform efforts, on the other hand, observed Erdö critically. Among the conservatives in the Cardinal College, a departure from Francis’ more progressive course is expected. Among other things, they rely on the Hungary.

Erdö became auxiliary bishop in Székesfehérvár in 2000, and Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest in 2002, and in 2003 he took him to the College of College. He comes from a very faithful family. Erdö once said that he had learned from his family that faith was the most important thing in life. His parents could not practice their professions as a lawyer and teacher under the communist regime in Hungary.

The former Archbishop of Manila has been living in Rome for several years. The 67 -year -old clergyman from the Catholic presentation in Asia, the Philippines, became the Congregation of Congregation in 2019 for the evangelization of the peoples. In the meantime, he is a pro -prefect of the resulting dicasterry for evangelization – one of the most important posts of the curia.

Tagle was repeatedly mentioned as the most promising candidate if the choice in the conclave was to fall on an Asian for the first time. He also has Chinese roots. Like Pope Francis, he is committed to a church that is on the side of the poor. And just like the Argentine, he is strictly against abortion and contraception.

It has been speculated for some time that a Pope could soon come from Africa: a “black pope”. Most often you hear the name of the Archbishop of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo: Fridolin Ambongo Besunu. The 65-year-old is considered quite conservative compared to his cardinal colleagues from Europe and North America. He is also one of the most important church representatives of Africa.

He saw the opening for the blessing of same -sex couples – like many Catholics in Africa. “The African continent experienced this as a cultural colonization of the West,” Besungu commented on the surprising step of Pope Francis. Besungu was one of the most prominent critics of the explanation “Fiducia Supplicans”.

The 76 -year -old cardinal priest from the USA, former Archbishop of St. Louis, was considered one of the toughest opponents of the late Pope. The conservative hardliner even criticized carefully reform attempts such as blessings for homosexual couples. Larger changes such as the abolition of celibacy or women as a priest cannot be made for him.

After he had also publicly criticized Francis, the Vatican stroked the salary. He also had to do without his 400 square meter apartment in Rome. The post as a cardinal patron of the Order of Malta had previously been withdrawn. Burke is considered someone that the White House would like to see as a Pope. However, his chances are assessed as rather low.

The Archbishop of Marseille was born in Algeria on Christmas 1958, which was still part of France at the time. He grew up in the suburbs of Marseille. Today he is an archbishop of the large port city in the south of the country. Aveline is considered close to the people – one of the character traits he shares with the late Pope. Otherwise, the southern French is considered someone who unites a lot with the Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio in appearance and politics. Some even call him a “Super Bergoglian”.

Aveline would therefore stand for the fact that the legacy of the dead Pope would continue. From the point of view, this speaks against him. It is rare in Catholic church history that two similar pontifexes are chosen one after the other. But if it would come, the Frenchman would certainly have a name: Franziskus II ..

The Archbishop of Luxembourg is one of the most influential men in the Vatican. The Jesuit sits in several important decaster. In addition, the 66-year-old, multilingual like many in his homeland, leads the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of all EU countries. At the latest world synod, the confidante of the died Pope Francis as a “general relator” – a kind of mediator, if there were disagreements – was one of the central figures.