The April 21 death of Pope Francis triggered a period of mourning in the Catholic Church, but also kick-started the race for his successor.
Whether diplomats, theologians, mediators or Vatican insiders, here are 15 cardinals who are among the potential favorites to become the next pope, known as the “papabili”, divided by region.
This list however is by no means exhaustive and Francis’s successor could well be someone else.
The Vatican’s chief diplomat, Parolin has been the number two at the Vatican during nearly all of Francis’s papacy.
He is known to many world leaders, having travelled the globe, but also to many inside the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See.
A member of Francis’s Council of Cardinals, an advisory body, Parolin played a key role in the historic 2018 deal between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops.
One of the Church’s most influential cardinals from Africa, Turkson is often mentioned as a possible first black pope — although he said in a 2010 he didn’t want the job, insisting any such pope would “have a rough time”.
He serves as the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Born into a humble family of 10 children, Turkson speaks six languages and has visited the World Economic Forum in Davos multiple times to convince business leaders of the perils of trickle-down economics.
Ambongo is the only cardinal from Africa on Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, the advisory committee to the pontiff.
As president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, he signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions.
In a 2023 interview, Ambongo proclaimed that “Africa is the future of the Church, it’s obvious”.
