Pope Francis breathed his last on Easter Monday, April 21 at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Since past few years, his health had deteriorated due to multiple ailments. With his death, A question that has arise is – who will replace the Pope Fransis?
Here is a list of the likely successors of Pope Francis
Pietro Parolin has been the Vatican’s secretary of state since 2013. Parolin hails from Veneto and is the highest ranking cardinal in the conclave. 70-year-old Pietro Parolin is also been considered as a moderate induvial who neither has an inclination towards the left wing or right.
A Devout Marian (one who devotes his practices to Marh, mother of Jesus Christ), Peter Erdo is also the former president of the Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe.
The 72-year-old hails from Hungary and is also considered as one of the conservative voices within the church and has been vocal in opposing the practice of divorced or remarried Catholics.Erdo also believes that taking in refugees amounts to human trafficking.
67-year-old Luis Antonio Tagle is the seventh Filipino to become a cardinal and if elected, would become the world’s first Asian pope. Tangle serves as the pro-prefect for the section of the first evangelisation of the dicastery for evangelisation.Tagle has shown more left-leaning ideologies and has opposed the church’s language and approach towards the LGBTQ community, unwed mothers and divorced/remarried Catholics.
Matteo Zuppi was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019 and is considered to the favourite of the Pope. Zuppi has been the president of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since May 2022. 69-year-old Zuppi has been sent to several global missions such as a peace mission to Ukraine and then to the US. Zuppi’s viwes are pro LGBTQ community.
Cardinal Raymond Burke
76-year-old Burke is a prominent face of Catholic conservatism. Supporter of Latin people. Burke has criticized many religious reforms done by Pope Francis. Burke Became Cardinal in 2010.
