Pope Francis continues to be in a critical position as his blood reports showed early kidney failure, according to AP report. The report suggests that the 88-year-old is responsive for now but is battling pneumonia and a complex lung infection. Many of his events were cancelled over the weekend and there has been clouds of uncertainty over the Holy Year too. With all eyes on his health updates, many are also showing concerns regarding who might lead the Vatican in the future.
How does Vatican select the new Pope?
In the event of Pope Francis passing away or resigning citing health concerns, the Vatican holds a ‘papal conclave’, where College of Cradinals gather to elect the new head for the Church.
According to the rules of the Conclave, as of Jan 25, 2025, there are about 138 electors of the 252 cardinals but only those under the age of 80 can take part in the secret ballot which takes place in the Sistine Chapel.
As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, four rounds of voting are held for the secret ballot everyday. This continues till a candidate gets a majority of two-thirds of votes. The electoral process usually lasts 15-20 days.
Key names emerging for Vatican’s next Pope
Cardinal Peter Erdö: Erdo represents the more orthodox side of the Church. He has very strong conservative views on issues like remarriage and divorce, which he has always opposed. The 72-year-old is a former president of the Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe. According to the independent, Pedro has compared the act of taking in refugees to human trafficking.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin: It is most likely that the next Pope could be Cardinal Pietro Parolin as he is the highest-ranking cardinal in the electing conclave and has been the Vatican’s Secretary of State since 2013. In his latest interview to the Italian newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo, Parolin commented on a number of issues. He is considered as one of the most sought after figure withinthe church, according to the independent report.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi: He is said to be one of the closest to Pope Francis and has been on a number of global trips since he was made a Cardinal in 2019. He has also met Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky during a peace mission and went to US to meet then-president Joe Biden. Zuppi has been on the positive side of the LGBTQ community.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke: Burke has publicly had clashes with Pope Francis over issues like divorce and remarriage. He has termed the church’s views around artificial contraception, civil marriages and gay people “objectionable”, reported the Independent. If Burke is elected as the next Pope, it will show Church’s more traditional and conservative choice for the future.