US EditionConclave: who are the likely contenders to succeed Pope Francis?
- Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, at age 88 from a stroke and cardiac arrest in Vatican City, triggering a conclave beginning May 7 to elect his successor.
- Francis's death followed a 12-year papacy noted for humility, social justice advocacy, and Church reform, while the conclave process remains secretive with no official candidate list.
- The 133 cardinal electors from 71 countries will vote in the Sistine Chapel, with frontrunners including Pietro Parolin, Peter Erdo, Jean-Marc Aveline, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa representing diverse theological and regional backgrounds.
- Parolin, 70, Italy's Vatican Secretary of State, is seen as the leading candidate, while others like Tagle and Zuppi offer moderate, reform-minded options; some cardinals remain too conservative or liberal to gain broad support.
- The conclave's outcome will reflect tensions between Francis's progressive legacy and conservative factions, indicating possible shifts in Church direction amid global Catholic demographic changes.
105 Articles
105 Articles
Faith Matters: Where can we find universal truths?: There may be some futility in the search, but not in the aspiration to ‘be worthy’
The death of Papà Francesco — Pope Francis — has caught my attention for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he embodied and lived out the claim of a Roman Catholic universal truth that is intended to be both accessible to and attainable for every human being. As a teacher of religious studies, philosophy and ethics, and as a non-ordained dean of spiritual life, I am fascinated with the prospect that there may be some way in wh…
"Let him be so humble": in front of Francis' grave, we pray for the next pope to be like him
While the cardinals have been gathered in a conclave since Wednesday to elect a new pope, the faithful are always rushing before the tomb of Francis, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. With a prayer in mind for many: that the chosen one resembles him.
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