After the death of Pope Francis was announced on Easter Monday, the race is on for selection of the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Vatican-watchers’ attention has turned to the prospect of a new Conclave, in which the College of Cardinals gathers to choose a new pontiff from among their ranks, with an affirmative decision famously signalled with a white smoke.
There are six leading contenders for the leadership of the Holy See, known in Italian as the ‘papabili’, and whoever is chosen becomes the new head of the worldwide Catholic Church.
They include Cardinal Peter Erdo, a 72 year-old Hungarian who has previously opposed divorcing or remarried Catholics receiving the Holy Communion. He has been a vocal opponent of European Nations accepting refugees and is considered close to authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, having also spoken out against mass migration.
Also in the race is Cardinal Raymond Burke, an arch-conservative American. Burke, 76, has previously challenged Pope Francis’ acceptance to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist. He has also challenged the Church around its recent stances toward contraception, homosexuals and civil marriages. In November 2023, Pope Francis reportedly evicted Burke from his subsidized Vatican apartment and terminated his salary as a retired cardinal.
There is also Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a former Archbishop of Mania.
The 67 year old Filipino prelate is a longstanding contender for the papacy.
He is considered to be left-leaning and has not been shy to air liberal views, criticising the Church’s view on divorce and same-sex relationships. In this sense, he is likely to continue Pope Francis’ steady attempt to modernise the Church’s outlook and focus on spreading social justice.
Another top contender is Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Vatican’s influential top diplomat and a popular moderate, has recently been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite.
Like his boss, the 70 year-old has espoused a liberal worldview and recently said in a recent interview that he was hoping for “an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people”, and also urged Europe to “rediscover itself” in order to be able to face the “major challenges” of the era.
Another prominent in the race is Cardinal Wim Eijk. The Dutch former doctor is believed to be the main conservative contender, facing off against the progressive wing of the Church, which has been in ascendancy since the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
The 71-year-old has staunchly opposed Pope Francis over his endorsement of civil marriages and also hit out against the Pope over his failure to dismiss a proposal that would allow Protestants to receive the Eucharist in Catholic churches.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is also one of them.
The 65 year-old Archbishop of Kinshasa is best known for rejecting Pope Francis’ declaration allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples.
Representing the culturally conservative African wing of the church, his election would be a shock rejection of Pope Francis’ attempt to update the image of Catholicism in recent years.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
