With no official campaign or list of candidates, and the election process shrouded in secrecy, speculation about who will succeed Pope Francis after the conclave that begins this week remains speculation.
However, below is a list of 15 cardinals who are among the potential favorites to replace Francis, broken down by region.
EUROPE
Pietro Parolin (Italy), 70, second-ranking Vatican official after Francis
Mr. Parolin served as secretary of state — essentially the Vatican’s second-ranking official — for most of Francis’ pontificate, and was the Holy See’s most visible representative on the world stage. The polyglot, known for his calm and subtle sense of humor, is also well-versed in the intricacies of the Roman Curia, the Holy See’s central government, and was a member of Francis’s group of cardinal advisors.
He is currently considered the favorite to become the next pope, having played a key role in the historic but controversial 2018 Vatican agreement with China on the appointment of bishops.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Italy), 60 years old, Jerusalem Latin patriarch
Mr. Pizzaballa is the most senior Catholic in the Middle East, with an archdiocese that covers Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus. He was made a cardinal in September 2023, just before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. The Franciscan has urged both sides to seek peace, and celebrated Masses in the Gaza Strip and Gaza over Christmas 2024. in Jerusalem.
Matteo Maria Zuppis (Italy), 69, Archbishop of Bologna
MM Zuppis worked as a discreet Vatican diplomat for more than three decades and, among other things, became Pope Francis' special envoy for peace. in UkraineMM Zuppis, who is known for his bike rides around Bologna, is a popular figure for his long-standing work for the poor. He also advocates for the acceptance of migrants and homosexual Catholics into the Church.
He has been the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 2022.
Claudio Gugerotti (Italy), 69 years old.
An academic and multilingual diplomat from the Italian city of Verona, C. Gugerotti is an expert on the Eastern Churches. He has served as a nuncio (ambassador of the Holy See) in several countries. The author of several books, C. Gugerotti avoids commenting on controversial issues. In 2022, he was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, and in 2023, he was appointed Cardinal.
Jean-Marc Aveline (France), 66, Archbishop of Marseille
Born in Algeria, JM Aveline spent most of his life in the French port city of Marseille. Like his close friend Pope Francis, he has become a voice for welcoming migrants and promoting interreligious dialogue. Valued for his discretion, intellectual ability and communication skills, JM Aveline has earned a reputation as a cardinal to watch.
Anders Arborelius (Sweden), 75, Bishop of Stockholm
Arborelius, who was appointed Sweden's first cardinal in 2017, converted to Catholicism in the Protestant Scandinavian country, home to one of the world's most secularized societies. He is Sweden's first Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation and is a staunch defender of Church doctrine, opposing women being allowed to become deacons and the blessing of same-sex couples.
A. Arborelius, like Pope Francis, advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics, and potential converts.
Mario Grech (Malta), 68, Bishop Emeritus of Gozo
Born in a small village on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, Mr. Grech is a peace broker and possible compromise candidate for the papacy. He served as secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a body that gathers information from local churches on issues of importance to the Church, such as women or divorced people remarrying, and passes it on to the pope.
Peter Erdo (Hungary), 72, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest
An intellectual and respected expert on canon law, Erdoğan speaks seven languages, has published more than 25 books and has been praised for his openness to other religions. But he has also drawn criticism for his ties to the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose hardline stance on migration has clashed with the views of the late Argentine pontiff.
Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, Mr. Erdo, who grew up under communism, holds conservative views on issues such as gay marriage and divorcees remarrying.
Jean-Claude Hollerich, 66, Archbishop of Luxembourg
JC Hollerich, who, like Pope Francis, is a Jesuit, spent more than 20 years in Japan and is a specialist in European-Asian cultural relations and German literature. This theologian, who is strict on dogma, remains open to the Church's need to adapt to changes in society, just like the Argentine pope with whom he was close and for whom he served as an advisor on the Council of Cardinals.
JC Hollerich advocates for environmental protection and seeks to increase the involvement of lay people, especially young people, in the Church.
ASIA
Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), 67, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Manila
LA Tagle, Asia's favorite to become pope, is a charismatic, moderate cardinal who is not afraid to criticize the Church for its shortcomings, including its sexual abuse of minors. A fluent English speaker and active on social media, LA Tagle is an eloquent speaker with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Like Francis, he is one of the main defenders of the poor, migrants and marginalized people.
He was made a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2012 and was already considered a candidate for pope in the 2013 conclave that elected Francis.
Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), 76, Archbishop of Yangon
Myanmar-born Ch. Maung Bo became the first and only cardinal from the predominantly Buddhist country in 2015. He was appointed by Pope Francis. Ch. Maung Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in conflict-torn Myanmar, and after a military coup in 2021, he appealed to opposition protesters to continue to avoid violence.
He has come to the defense of the predominantly Muslim Rohingya people, calling them victims of "ethnic cleansing," and has spoken out against people smuggling, which is destroying the lives of many young Myanmar people. He led the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) from 2019 to 2024.
AFRICA
Peter Turkson (Ghana), 76, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Coast
One of the Church's most influential African cardinals, Turkson has been touted for years as a possible candidate to become the first black pope. The multilingual Turkson, who was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003, served as the pope's envoy and mediator, including in South Sudan.
From 2016 to 2021, he also headed the Vatican's high-level department, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which deals with human rights and migration, among other issues. Born into a modest family of ten children, Turkson has criticized anti-gay laws in Uganda, but defends Catholic sexual morality and denies that homosexuality is a human rights issue.
Robert Sarah (Guinea), 79, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
If Pope Francis had lived a few more months, conservative prelate R. Sarah, who turns 16 on June 80, would be too old to participate in the conclave or become his successor. But conservative Catholics in French-speaking circles see him as a candidate who could reverse progressive reforms.
He has been a vocal opponent of what he called “Western ideologies on homosexuality, abortion and Islamic fanaticism” in 2015, and has condemned a text published in 2024 that would have paved the way for the blessing of same-sex couples. Experts believe his views are too conservative to secure a two-thirds majority in the conclave, but even his possible candidacy has raised his profile.
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 65, Archbishop of Kinshasa
F. Ambongo Besungu was the only African cardinal on Pope Francis' Council of Cardinals and is the leader of the African Bishops' Association SECAM. Born in 1960, the year the Democratic Republic of Congo gained independence from Belgium, F. Ambongo Besungu has become a strong voice for peace in his conflict-torn country and is vocal about his conservative views.
Notably, he signed a letter in 2024 expressing opposition to a Vatican declaration allowing priests to perform non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions. In a 2023 interview, Fr. Ambongo Besung, who some believe could become the first pope from his continent, stated that “Africa is the future of the Church, that is obvious.”
AMERICAN
Robert Francis Prevost (United States), 69, Archbishop-Bishop Emeritus of Chiclayo
Chicago-born RF Prevost was appointed in 2023 as prefect of the influential Dicastery for Bishops, which advises the pope on the appointment of new bishops. He spent many years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in that South American country. RF Prevost, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023, is also president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Timothy Dolan (United States), 75, Archbishop of New York
A cheerful, rosy-faced extrovert of Irish-American descent, Dolan is a theological conservative who strongly opposes abortion. The former archbishop of Milwaukee had to deal with the fallout from a major sex abuse scandal in his diocese. As church membership dwindled, Dolan reached out to New York City to embrace the growing Hispanic community, which is predominantly Catholic.
Lina Linkevičiūtė (AFP)
