Cardinals Gather in Rome Amidst Uncertainty Over Successor
The Vatican announced Monday that Catholic cardinals will begin voting for a new pope on May 7, marking the start of a historic conclave to choose the successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.
The decision was made during a meeting of cardinals early Monday, following a week of mourning that culminated in Francis’s grand funeral on Saturday, attended by 400,000 mourners in St. Peter’s Square, including world leaders, royalty, and devoted pilgrims.
A total of 135 cardinals under the age of 80, the only ones eligible to vote, will enter the Sistine Chapel next week, where they will deliberate under Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescoes in one of the most secretive and sacred processes in the Catholic Church.
The cardinals, hailing from diverse regions of the world, have already begun informal discussions in preliminary meetings known as “general congregations.”
This photo taken and handout on April 28, 2025 by The Vatican Media shows cardinals during the fifth congregation meeting in The Vatican. (Photo by Mario Tomassetti / VATICAN MEDIA / AFP)
Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, 83, who is too old to vote but has been observing the proceedings, described a “beautiful, fraternal atmosphere” among the clergy. However, he acknowledged the challenges ahead: “The voters have never been so numerous, and not everyone knows each other.”
With no clear frontrunner, speculation is swirling over who might lead the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and Pope Francis’s right-hand man, is currently the bookmakers’ favorite, seen as a steady hand amid global crises.
- Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, known for his humility and pastoral approach, is another strong contender.
- Other names in the mix include Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, Bologna’s Archbishop Matteo Zuppi, and Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo hinted that surprises may be in store, telling El País: “If Francis was the pope of surprises, this conclave will be too.”
Pope Francis left a complex legacy, beloved by many for his humility and reformist spirit, yet criticized by conservatives for his progressive stances on social issues.
Roberto Regoli, a Church historian, noted that the next pope must “forge greater unity” in a deeply divided Church. “We are in a period of polarization,” he said, predicting that the conclave may not be swift.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures shows (TOP L to R) Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, (MIDDLE L to R) Italian Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Italian Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, (BOTTOM L to R) Italian Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Burmese Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Luxembourgish Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, and US Cardinal Timothy Dolan, all see as potential candidates. This list, however, is by no means exhaustive and Francis’s successor could well be someone else. (Photo by various sources / AFP)
Meanwhile, Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga of the Central African Republic emphasized the need for a bold leader: “We need someone courageous, capable of holding the helm steady even in storms.”
The conclave will follow a rigorous voting process: four ballots per day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. Smoke signals, black for no decision, white for a new pope, will rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney.
As the world watches, faithful Catholics like Patrizia Spotti, a 68-year-old Italian pilgrim, hope for continuity. “We need a pope like Francis,” she said. “The Church faces so many challenges, empty pews, scandals. We need a leader who can guide us with compassion.”
With the future of Catholicism at stake, the eyes of the world now turn to Rome, where history will be made behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel.
Sources: AFP, Reuters
