Who will be the next pope? Here are some possible candidates

RomeCNN —

According to an old proverb, "he who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal" refers to papal elections. To put it another way, any candidate who is considered to be the front-runner prior to the start of the voting process ought to be treated with caution, and no cardinal ought to enter the Sistine Chapel assuming that they will win votes.

At the 2013 conclave, one of the favorites was Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan. The Italian bishops were so confident that he would be chosen that after the white smoke emerged from the Vatican chimney, a senior Italian church official sent a message to reporters expressing joy over Scola’s election. The problem was that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio had already been named pope.

This conclave is going to be crucial for deciding the future direction of the Roman Catholic Church, and the field of candidates is wide open thanks to Pope Francis’ reforms.

During his pontificate, Francis overhauled the composition of the body that will elect his successor, making it more representative of the worldwide church.

He changed the old, unwritten rule that bishops of some dioceses, including several in Italy, would automatically become cardinals. Instead, he gave red hats to bishops in places like Tonga, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea that had never had them before. It is harder to predict how they will vote because several of them are “outsiders” to the Roman system.

Nevertheless, only a few cardinals have the requisite skills, experience and personality suitable to taking on the role of leading the Roman Catholic Church.

Electors will need to consider the priorities of the church and the profile of the next candidate. They will also need to consider whether the next pope should continue the reforms started by Francis or take a different direction.

They will be looking for someone who can lead a church around the world and demonstrate moral credibility on the global stage. There is speculation that the next pope could be from Southeast Asia because some people believe the church's future lies in Asia.

Age is also a factor, with the last two conclaves opting for older popes to ensure shorter pontificates.

Papal candidates are known as “papabile” or translated from the Italian, “pope-able.” The vast majority of the papabile were appointed by Pope Francis, although two were chosen by Benedict XVI. Here are some of the contenders.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Holy See Secretary of State

The cardinal, who has held the second position at the Vatican since 2013, is a skilled diplomat who is well-versed in the global church. Parolin, who is from the north of Italy, has worked as the papal representative in Venezuela and was present at the signing of the peace agreement that Colombia signed in 2016. He was responsible for the Vatican's efforts to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam and the move to reestablish diplomatic ties with China, which resulted in the Holy See concluding a deal with Beijing regarding the appointment of bishops. Since he has criticized the US president's plan for Gaza, his election could result in disagreements with the Trump administration. Parolin is a more reserved and conservative figure despite his support for Francis' agenda and his mediation and diplomacy skills.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

Archbishop of Bologna

When Francis asked Zuppi to lead a peace mission for Ukraine in 2023, the cardinal recognized Zuppi's strong diplomatic skills. The Catholic humanitarian group Sant'Egidio's Italian prelate was a member of a team that helped mediate the 1992 end of the Mozambique civil war. The cardinal, who was born in Rome, is well-known for helping LGBTQ+ Catholics and riding his bicycle around Bologna.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

Leader of the Vatican office for evangelization

Due to his close connection to the pastoral aims of the Franciscan pontificate, the Filipino cardinal is often referred to as the "Asian Francis." Despite his modesty, he is a charismatic leader. He was in charge of the church's global charitable arm for a number of years. He was asked by Francis to be prefect of the Vatican department for evangelization in 2019, and since then, he has worked closely with church leaders in developing countries. Although an engaging leader, some have questioned his management skills after a Vatican overhaul of the leadership of Caritas – the federation of Catholic charities – saw him step down as president. Tagle, also known as "Chito," would be the first Filipino and Southeast Asian pope, and his candidacy reflects the church's growing influence in Asia.

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David

Bishop of Kalookan

An outspoken voice for justice, he faced death threats and criminal charges in his homeland of the Philippines after preaching against drug war killings during the Rodrigo Duterte presidency. Known as Cardinal “Ambo” (which he likes to pair with “Apu,” meaning “grandfather”), he shares Francis’ vision of the church and says the next pope needs to focus on building a church which is “inclusive” and like a “field hospital” for the wounded. The cardinal is respected by his peers, serving as leader of the Philippine’s bishops’ conference, and in 2024 was elected to sit on a council to discuss major reforms in the Catholic Church. Like Tagle, he would be the first Southeast Asian and Filipino pope.

Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix

Archbishop of Quebec

He has experience leading a local church in a nation with high rates of secularization and is regarded as an accomplished leader who is pastorally sensitive. Lacroix's focus on a missionary church is likely to be viewed favorably in a papal election, and Francis chose him to be a member of the Council of Cardinals, the body that advises the pope on important matters. Lacroix's leadership abilities were also recognized. However, in the 1980s, Lacroix was the subject of an unidentified female who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident. The claims, which were made in a civil class action lawsuit filed against the archdiocese of Quebec, were strongly denied by the cardinal, and a retired judge hired by the Vatican to look into the allegations later found no evidence of sexual misconduct. The allegation could damage Lacroix’s candidacy, but the judge’s finding might also be viewed as Lacroix having already been vetted.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu

Archbishop of Kinshasa

He is the leader of a massive local church of more than seven million Catholics and is a respected moral voice in his country. Cardinal Ambongo represents the growing church of Africa and could appeal to a cross-section of cardinals in a conclave. A member of the Capuchin Franciscan religious order – an order of friars which follows the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and whose brown habits inspired the name for the frothy coffee “cappuccino” – he has been a strong defender of democracy and human rights, unafraid to stand up to warlords and corruption. But the Congolese cardinal also took a strong stance against blessings of same-sex couples.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin

Archbishop of Newark

Cardinal Tobin is a humble and generous figure who has served in Rome as a senior Vatican official and as the leader of his Redemptorist order, a congregation of missionaries who focus on the poor and work in over 80 countries. He is a leading US contender in the upcoming conclave due to his international experience, work at the Vatican, and leadership of Catholic communities in Indianapolis and Newark. The cardinal, who also speaks Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, has been a vocal supporter of immigrants, once defying the former governor. Indiana's prohibition on resettling Syrian refugees He will be one to watch.

Along with the frontrunners, other candidates might also emerge.

Cardinal Mario Grech, 68, the Maltese leader of the church’s synod office, could appeal to some – as might Cardinal Stephen Chow, 65, the Bishop of Hong Kong, known for his diplomatic and pastoral skills.

The Italian cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, has also impressed with his leadership skills during the Israel-Hamas war as patriarch of Jerusalem.

Brazilian cardinal Jaime Spengler, 64, is another to keep an eye on. He has shown that he is a strong leader by being elected to lead both the Latin American Episcopal Conference and the Brazilian bishops' conference.