Who will be Pope? Speculation is already running

Vatican

Who will be Pope? Speculation is already running

After the death of Francis, a new Pontifex must be chosen. This time the decision is considered particularly open. But you keep hearing some names.

The customs are not necessarily better in the power apparatus of the Catholic Church than elsewhere. Pope Francis’ successor has already been speculated in the past few weeks when he was still alive. In theory, there are now 137 men who can become Pontifex: all cardinals that were not yet 80 years old at the time of his death. More than 100 cardinals are external due to exceeding the age limit.

However, as “papabiles” – the people who have the stature to become a pope – are significantly less discussed: all in all about two dozen. Many of the Italians Pietro Parolin are the favorite. Because Francis has appointed many new cardinals from distant countries that do not know each other very well, the choice is probably even more open this time than with earlier complies.

And basically the old saying applies: “Chi Entra Papa ner Conclave, a riser cardinal” (“Whoever goes into the conclave as a Pope comes out as a cardinal”). So there can be surprises. Nevertheless, an overview of the most mentioned candidates:

The 70 -year -old Northern Italian from near Venice has been number two in the Vatican for more than a decade. Francis raised the studied diplomat and doctor of church law shortly after his election as Secretary of Cardinal State. Since then, slogan has been running the shops at his side. He also represented it when Francis was in the hospital. Parolin never raised doubts about his loyalty.

The Italian is considered very powerful – otherwise you don’t get far in the curia. With the conclave, he will now have an outstanding role either way: Usually the election assembly in the Sistine Chapel is led by the Dean of the Cardinals. The current dean and also its vice are already over 80 and therefore too old. That is why it is the turn of the ranking cardinal: slogan.

As a patriarch of Jerusalem and thus the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, the Italian leads one of the most difficult dioceses in the world. In the country of birth of Jesus Christ, Christians often stand between the fronts. PizzaBalla sees itself as a bridge builder in the Middle East conflict, despite all the difficulties.

PizzaBalla comes from the Franciscan religious community. At the age of 60, the clergyman who was born in Italy’s north near Bergamo is one of the youngest in the circle of candidates mentioned. That can speak for him – but also against him.

As chairman of the Italian bishops’ conference, the 69-year-old is one of the central figures in the Vatican. The bishop from Bologna is considered to be well networked and very influential. In addition, he currently has one of the most demanding posts that are to be awarded: As a special envoy, he has been taking care of conveying in the war between Russia and Ukraine for almost three years – so far without great success.

More than once recently, his diplomatic skill was asked when Francis once again made headlines, for example with statements about the war in Ukraine. Zuppi is also closely linked to the comunità sant “Egidio, which was repeatedly active for the Vatican in intermediary functions.

The primas of Hungary, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, is considered a conservative church man among the cardinals traded as “papabiles”. The 72-year-old is particularly known for his traditional attitude in many church issues and had a good relationship with Francis “predecessor Benedict XVI. Francis”, on the other hand, “observed reform efforts, sometimes critically observed. Among the conservatives in the Cardinal College, a departure from Francis “is more progressive. They rely on the Hungary, among other things.