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Who could succeed Pope Francis? Nine possible candidates
2025-04-21 14:38:15 / BOTA
Pope Francis passed away this Monday morning at around 7:35 am at the age of 88.
After his death, one of the most important questions is who will replace Pope Francis at the helm of the Vatican.
Two atypical candidates who are rumored in the media to be elected to replace Pope Francis are:
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana has long been considered qualified. And he still is, despite his sudden resignation as head of the Vatican's peace and justice office in 2021 amid an internal investigation into its management.
Also in the running is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines. Catholic media sometimes call him the "Asian Francis" because of the esteem the Pope has shown him.
According to Reuters, other possible candidates are:
Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, French, 66 years old.
According to the French press, he is known in some local Catholic circles as John XXIV, in a nod to his resemblance to Pope John XXIII, the round-faced reformist pope of the early 1960s. Aveline is known for his easy-going, easy-going nature, his willingness to joke, and his ideological closeness to Francis, particularly on immigration and relations with the Muslim world. He is also a serious intellectual, with a doctorate in theology and a degree in philosophy.
Cardinal Peter Erdo, Hungarian, 72 years old
If Erdo is elected, he would inevitably be seen as a compromise candidate, someone from the conservative camp who has nevertheless built bridges with Francis’s progressive world. Erdo was already considered a papal contender in the last conclave in 2013 thanks to his extensive Church contacts in Europe and Africa, as well as the fact that he was seen as a pioneer of the New Evangelization effort to rekindle the Catholic faith in advanced secularized nations, a top priority for many cardinals. He ranks as a conservative in theology and in speeches across Europe emphasizes the continent’s Christian roots. However, he is also seen as pragmatic and has never openly clashed with Francis, unlike other traditionally minded clerics.
Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese, 68 years old.
Grech comes from Gozo, a small island that is part of Malta, the smallest country in the European Union. But from small beginnings he has gone on to great things, appointed by Pope Francis as secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a weighty position within the Vatican.
His views have earned him some high-profile enemies, and conservative Cardinal Gerhard Muller memorably turned on him in 2022, belittling his academic profile and accusing him of going against Catholic doctrine.
Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, Spanish, 79 years old.
Omella is a man similar to Pope Francis. Unassuming and good-natured, he lives a humble life despite his lofty title, dedicating his career to the church's pastoral care, promoting social justice, and embodying a compassionate and inclusive vision of Catholicism.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Italian, Vatican diplomat, 70 years old.
A favorite of the players, Parolin is seen as a compromise candidate between progressives and conservatives. He has been a Church diplomat for most of his life and has served as Pope Francis’ secretary of state since 2013, the year Francis was elected. The position is similar to that of a prime minister, and secretaries of state are often called “deputies to the pope” because they rank second only to the pope in the Vatican hierarchy.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, NJ, American, 72 years old.
It's unlikely that the world's cardinals would choose the first U.S. pope, but if they were to do so, Tobin would seem like the most likely candidate. A former global leader of a major Catholic religious order known as the Redemptorists, the Detroit native has spent time in countries around the world and speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. He also has experience in Vatican service and in senior positions in the American church.
Matteo Maria Zuppi, Italian, Archbishop of Bologna, 69 years old.
When Zuppi received a promotion in 2015 and became archbishop of Bologna, national media dubbed him the “Italian Bergoglio,” due to his closeness to Francis, the Argentine pope, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Zuppi would be the first Italian pope since 1978.
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