The 4 dominant candidates in an unpredictable process

The last time her cardinals Catholic Church They chose a Pope, wanted an “outsider” to reshape the Vatican, which was in crisis due to scandals. Eventually, with Pope Francis they acquired a subversive leader more than many had imagined.

The question posed after Pope Francis’ death is who will succeed him. This decision could have a profound impact on the Catholic Church and the 1.4 billion of baptized Roman Catholicists in the world.

At the same time, it is estimated that it will be a very unpredictable and open process, for many reasons.

The College of Cardinal will be convened in a concentration in the Sistina hats To discuss and then vote in favor of the candidates for his preference, until a name prevails.

80% of the cardinals who will elect the next Pope have been appointed by Pope Francis himself. This means that many of them participate for the first time in the concussion and bring with them a more global perspective.

For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, less than half of the electors come from Europe, and although the body of the electors bears the stamp of Francis, it is not exclusively for progressive or traditional cardinals.

For all these reasons, it is more difficult than ever to predict who will be elected next Pope.

Cardinals could elect a pope from Africa or Asia, or prefer one of the Vatican’s experienced.

Following is a choice of names referred to as potential Franciscan successors:

Pietro parolin
Nationality: Italian
Age: 70 years old

The mild in the Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin was the Vatican Foreign Minister under Pope Francis, which makes him his main adviser. Foreign Minister is also head of Roman Curryof the Central Administration of the Catholic Church.

Having actually functioned as a Pope’s deputy, he could be considered a favorite.

Some estimate that if elected it may prioritize diplomacy and worldwide perspective rather than strict adherence to universal doctrine. His critics consider this to be a problem, and his supporters see it as an advantage.

However, he has criticized the legalization of marriage between same sex, describing his historical vote in 2015 in Ireland “defeat for humanity”.

Betting companies may consider him a favorite, but Parolin’s cardinal is well aware of the old Italian saying that highlights the uncertainty of the Pope’s election process: “Anyone who enters the Conclain as a Pope comes out.”

The 213 of the 266 previous popes were Italians, and although it has been almost half a century without an Italian Pope, the removal of the Church’s upper scales from Italy and Europe may mean that there will be no other for the time being.

Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle
Nationality: Philippine
Age: 67 years old

Could the next Pope come from Asia?

The Cardinal Tagle has decades of pastoral experience, as he was an active leader of the Church next to people and not the Vatican diplomat or isolated specialist in ecclesiastical law.

The church has a huge influence on the Philippines, where about 80% of the population are Catholics. The country currently has a number of five members in the Cardinal College, which could be an important lobby if everyone supports the Cardinal Tagle.

He is considered moderate, according to the universal interpretation of the term, and is described as the “Asian Francis” because of his devotion to social issues and his sympathy to immigrants, which was shared with the deceased Pope.

It has been expressed against abortions, which it described as a “form of murder”, a position that is aligned with the general attitude of the Church, which considers life begins with conception. It has also been placed against euthanasia.

However, in 2015, when he was Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Tagle called on the Church to re -examine her “harsh” attitude towards homosexuals, divorced and single mothers, saying that the cruelty of the past and the cruelty of the past

The cardinal was considered a papal throne as early as the 2013 concussion, in which Francis was elected.

When asked a decade ago how he sees estimates that he could be the next Pope, he replied: “I treat it as a joke! It’s funny. “

Fridolin Ambongo besungu
Nationality: Congolese
Age: 65

It is very likely that the next Pope comes from Africa, where the Catholic Church continues to add millions of believers. The Cardinal Ambongo is considered one of the main candidates and comes from the Congo People’s Republic (PDK).

He has been Archbishop of Kinshasa for seven years and has been appointed cardinal by Pope Francis.

It is culturally conservative, as it has been expressed against blessings for marriages between people of the same sex, stating that “unions between people of the same sex are considered to be contrary to cultural rules and by nature bad”.

Although Christianity is the dominant religion in the GDC, the Christians there have suffered deaths and persecution by the Islamic State jihadist organization and cooperating rebels. Within this context, Cardinal Ambongo is considered a staunch defender of the Church.

However, in an interview in 2020, he was in favor of religious pluralism, saying: “Let the Protestants and Muslim Muslims be. We will work with them. But everyone must maintain their own identity. “

Such statements could lead some cardinals to wonder if they fully share their own perception of mission, in which Catholics hope to spread the speech of the Church around the world.

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
Nationality: Ghanaian
Age: 76 years of age

If selected by his counterparts, the important cardinal Turkson would also be the first African Pope for 1,500 years.

Like the Ambongo cardinal, he has stated that he does not want the position. “I’m not sure if someone really seeks to become a pope,” he said in 2013.

When asked if Africa has a reasonable claim for the election of the next pope, based on the development of the Church in Epirus, he replied that he believes that the Pope should not be chosen on the basis of statistics, because “such thoughts blur the waters”.

He was the first Ghanaian to be proclaimed Cardinal, in 2003 by Pope John Pavlos II.

Like Cardinal Tagle, Turkson was considered a pope’s post a decade later, when Francis was elected. Indeed, betting companies considered him a favorite before the vote.

A guitarist who once played in a funk band, Cardinal Turkson is known for his dynamic presence.

Like many cardinals from Africa, it has conservative positions. However, he has been opposed to the criminalization of homosexual relations in African countries, including his homeland, Ghana.

In an interview with the BBC in 2023, while the Ghanaian parliament was discussing a bill that imposed strict penalties on LGBTQ+people, Turkson said he believes that homosexuality should not be treated as an offense.

In 2012, he was accused of dangerous forecasts on the spread of Islam in Europe during a Bishop of Bishops in the Vatican, for which he then apologized.