World

Who could be the next pope?

Published

10 months ago

May 6, 2025

There is no formal candidate process for the College of Cardinals to pull from when selecting the next pope – meaning any Catholic male could potentially be chosen as the next leader of the Catholic Church.

For the last 3,400 years, the College of Cardinals – which is the holy body that elects each pope – has pulled from within its own ranks to choose each successor to the papacy, and it is widely believed it will do so again when the conclave meets on Wednesday.

Reports suggest that there is still no clue who will succeed Pope Francis, though there are a few men expected to be at the top of the 135-member electoral body.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, Italy
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, Philippines
Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, Hungary
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, Jerusalem
Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, 59, Portugal
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, Democratic Republic of Congo
Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, United States of America
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, 69, Italy
Cardinal Anders Arborelius, 75, Sweden
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, 66, France

In this photo from files taken on April 18, 2005 and released by the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinals walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, at the beginning of the conclave. (Osservatore Romano via AP)

PAPAL PULSE: EVERYDAY CATHOLICS REVEAL THEIR HOPES FOR THE NEXT POPE

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, Italy

Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, is the highest-ranking diplomat in the Holy See – which is the governing body of the Catholic Church – and is believed to be among the cardinals most likely to be elected to the top position.

His favor among cardinals in the Sacred College, who will vote on the next pope, is due to his politically moderate position and his career in diplomacy, reported The New York Post.

Parolin, who spent part of his career in Mexico and Nicaragua, was appointed by Pope Francis in 2014 and would likely be seen as an extension of the current papacy.

The Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, attends the blessing ceremony of the newly opened reception and integration center for Ukrainian refugees during the Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia in Kosice, Slovakia, on Sept. 15, 2023. (Robert Nemeti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

WILL THE NEXT POPE BE FROM ASIA?

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, Philippines

Tagle is also believed to be a frontrunner among voting cardinals and serves as the pro-prefect for the section of first evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization, as well as president of the Interdicasterial Commission for Consecrated Religious.

He has been dubbed the “Asian Pope Francis” particularly for their similarities when it comes to their more embracing position of the LGBTQI community than their predecessors.

In a 2015 interview, Tagle said the Church’s “severe” position on the LGBTQI community, divorcees and single mothers was doing it harm.

According to the Catholic Herald, Tagle “would be hailed by liberals, given the changing demographic of the Church.”

Pope Francis greets Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2024. (Tiziana FabiI/AFP via Getty Images)

US CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS SUES TRUMP OVER IMMIGRATION, REFUGEE FUNDING FREEZE

Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, Hungary

There are several conservative cardinals who are believed to be top contenders for the papacy, including Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has been critical of Francis’ position on divorce and immigration.

Erdo has argued that divorced or re-married Catholics should not be allowed to receive Holy Communion due to his position regarding the “indissolubility of marriage.”

The Catholic Herald pointed out that appointing a conservative pope following Francis’ tenure would “send a powerful message about the direction the Church would be taking.”

Erdo has also differed from Francis greatly on immigration and argued in 2015 that permitting refugees to resettle is tantamount to human trafficking.

Pope Francis greets the archbishop of Budapest, Cardinal Péter Erdő, after arriving in Budapest, Hungary, on April 28, 2023. (Vatican Media Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

FROM THE HOLY LAND TO THE HOLY SEE: CARDINAL PIZZABALLA EMERGES AS PAPAL CANDIDATE

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, Jerusalem

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, offered himself up as a hostage in exchange for the release of the Israeli children brutally abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Though Hamas did not accept the exchange, the offer garnered international attention and brought his name forward as a potential future leader of the Catholic Church.

Should the Italian cardinal be chosen for the papacy, it would be the first time in 50 years that an Italian headed the Catholic Church, which was previously long seen as under Italian control – though, given the decades he has spent in the Middle East he is also seen as a Vatican outsider.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa attends the 7th Novemdiales Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on May 02, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. Cardinals have agreed to begin the conclave on May 7th to elect the 267th Pope, following the conclusion of the Novemdiales Masses to pray for the eternal repose of the late Pope Francis. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, 59, Portugal

The Cardinal, often referred to as one of his baptismal names Tolentino, was made prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education in 2022.

Tolentino is among the youngest of the men flagged as a potential successor to Pope Francis, which could hinder his chances of landing the papal seat.

He was also closely aligned with Francis on several issues which has garnered some controversy, particularly when it comes to the church’s position on same-sex relationships.

The Portuguese cardinal is also viewed as liberal leaning given his push for the church to engage with modern culture, including in his support of a feminist Benedictine sister who favors women’s ordination and is pro-choice.

Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça and American comedian Whoopi Goldberg in the Galleria Lapidaria of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, after the meeting with the Pope, on the occasion of the audience with comedians from all over the world, at the Apostolic Palace. (Photo by Stefano Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

VATICAN PREPARES FOR LARGEST CONCLAVE IN HISTORY TO ELECT NEW POPE

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, Democratic Republic of Congo

Another conservative cardinal thought to be a serious contender is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the war-torn nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Membership of the Catholic Church in Africa is growing faster than anywhere else in the world, according to the Associated Press.

The 65-year-old Ambongo controversially rejected Pope Francis’ blessing of same-sex couples by the Catholic Church. In a letter signed by other African priests, they said they refused to follow the pontiff’s declaration because such unions are “contrary to the will of God.”

Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, United States of America

The Wisconsin native and former archbishop of St. Louis is considered to be the leading American candidate. The 76-year-old cardinal is also viewed as being from the conservative side of the Church.

He is a proponent of the Latin Mass, and has been critical of Pope Francis regarding the Church’s new language around artificial contraception, LGBT issues and civil marriages. Burke was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke attends the Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals led by Pope Francis at the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Vatican. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

CHIMNEY INSTALLED ON SISTINE CHAPEL’S ROOF AHEAD OF CONCLAVE TO PICK POPE FRANCIS’ SUCCESSOR

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, 69, Italy

Zuppi was born in Rome. He is the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference and is viewed as an insider in Francis’ Vatican, having served as the archbishop of Bologna.

The 69-year-old Zuppi is seen as being one of Pope Francis’ favorites. He was sent on a peace mission in 2023 to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was also sent to meet with President Joe Biden that same year.

Zuppi was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019.

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on Aug. 24, 2023, in Vatican City. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

Cardinal Anders Arborelius, 75, Sweden

Arborelius is the first Swedish cardinal in history and has become one of the favorites slated as one of the emerging front-runners to lead the Catholic Church.

As Sweden is a predominately Protestant nation with Catholics making up just over 1% of the country, Arborelius’ elevation from Bishop to Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2017, is still seen as an advantage when it comes to vying for the top spot.

He was also the first Swede to be made a bishop of Stockholm since the 1517 Protestant Reformation when St. John Paul II appointed him in 1998, reported the Catholic Review.

Cardinal Anders Arborelius arrives for a College of Cardinals meeting at he Vatican on April 29, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, 66, France

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline is seen as a top contender for those who are looking to see core principles of Pope Francis carried on by the next pope, particularly when it comes to social justice and immigration.

Aveline also embraced Francis’ push to make the Catholic Church more welcoming.

As a native of Marseille, he is familiar with arguments for and against migration and he has worked with ethnically diverse populations in a city often seen as the crossroads between Africa and Europe, reported the National Catholic Reporter.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline greets guests on the forecourt of La Major after the funeral ceremony for the former mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin, in Marseille, France on 23 May 2024. (ANNE-SOPHIE NIVAL/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

The Vote

Of the 252 cardinals in the Sacred College, only 138 are under the age of 80 and therefore are permitted to participate in the conclave, the papal election process – though there are no age limitations for the candidate who would serve as the future pope.

Following the death of a pope, the conclave then holds a vote, and will continue to vote, until a pope is chosen by a two-thirds majority.

At that time, the ballots will be burned with a chemical that produces white smoke, as opposed to black smoke, to alert the world that a new pope has been chosen.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.

World

EU Commission targets WTO’s key rule in push to rebalance China trade

Published

19 minutes ago

February 20, 2026

Press Room

EU Commission targets WTO’s key rule in push to rebalance China trade

Published on
20/02/2026 – 18:06 GMT+1

As the EU’s trade deficit with China keeps widening, the European Commission wants to revisit the WTO rule requiring members to extend the lowest tariff granted to one partner to all, known as the “Most Favoured Nation” principle under global trade rules.

The status is important as it has shaped trade for decades and allowed countries like China to benefit from low tariffs even as it transitions from an emerging to a sophisticated market as the world’s second largest economy.

With this new proposal, Brussels would link low tariffs to reciprocal market access. The move comes as European companies face persistent barriers in China, which has grown it trade surplus with the world and the EU despite calls to rebalance the relationship.

“The low tariffs should be matched with equal access to your [a trading partner’s] markets,” Šefčovič said on Friday after a meeting of EU trade ministers in Cyprus, adding: “I think that there has to be fairness on both sides.”

EU’s goods trade deficit with China keeps ballooning

The issue is set to surface at the WTO’s ministerial conference in Cameroon in March, one year after President Donald Trump jolted global trade with sweeping unilateral tariffs that challenged the multilateral system and have now been struck down by court.

WTO reform will dominate the gathering as policymakers grapple with a geo-economic landscape shaped by increasingly nationalist trade policies in both the US and China.

The “Most Favoured Nation” rule was designed to prevent discrimination among trading partners. But Brussels now sees it as contributing to structural imbalances with China.

“When this principle was embedded into the international trade law and WTO practices, simply the world was different,” Šefčovič said. “The GDP of China represented around 5 to 6%. Today we are at the level of 20%.”

The EU’s goods trade deficit with China widened to €359.3 billion in 2025.

Critics have long argued that Beijing has not fully adhered to WTO practices since it joined the institution in 2001, citing extensive Chinese government state subsidies. Since, its economy has grown to become the second largest in the world only behind the US.

“The past three decades global trade has changed profoundly. Some WTO members have dramatically expanded their share of global trade, while keeping their own markets relatively closed,” Commissioner Šefčovič said on Friday. “And at the same time, state support and non-market policies have multiplied.”

The “Most Favoured Nation” rule has also been called into question by the deals struck over the past year by the US with trading partners under the threat of steeper tariffs.

The EU-US agreement concluded last July sets 15% US tariffs on EU goods, while the EU committed to granting preferential treatment with zero tariffs on US imports.

Still, the trade agreements announced by the Trump administration have not been notified to the WTO, even though members are required to do so to allow others to assess their compliance with WTO rules.

The tariffs have also been declared ilegal by the US Supreme Court on the basis that the president exceeded his mandate by invoking emergency laws to push them throw. The ruling adds uncertainty to an already complex geopolitical context.

World

Where King Charles' brother Andrew shows up in the Epstein files

Published

10 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Press Room

Where King Charles' brother Andrew shows up in the Epstein files

King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he sent confidential government documents to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was released later in the day and has not been charged with a crime.

World

Iran rebuilding nuclear program despite Trump talks, opposition figure claims

Published

11 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Press Room

Iran rebuilding nuclear program despite Trump talks, opposition figure claims

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Iran is rebuilding nuclear sites damaged in previous U.S. strikes and “preparing for war,” despite engaging in talks with the Trump administration, according to a prominent Iranian opposition figure.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said newly released satellite images also prove the regime has accelerated its efforts to restore its “$2 trillion” uranium enrichment capabilities.

“The regime has clearly stepped up efforts to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities,” Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital. “It is preparing itself for a possible war by trying to preserve its nuclear weapons program and ensure its protection.”

IRAN SAYS US MUST ‘PROVE THEY WANT TO DO A DEAL’ ON NUCLEAR TALKS IN GENEVA

Reconstruction activity appears to be underway at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

“That said, the ongoing rebuilding of Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities is particularly alarming as the regime is now engaged in nuclear talks with the United States,” he added.

New satellite images released by Earth intelligence monitor Planet Labs show reconstruction activity appears to be underway at the Isfahan complex.

Isfahan is one of three Iranian uranium enrichment plants targeted in the U.S. military operation known as “Midnight Hammer.”

The June 22 operation involved coordinated Air Force and Navy strikes on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities.

US POSITIONS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, STRIKE PLATFORMS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN

A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

Despite the damage, the satellite images show Iran has buried entrances to a tunnel complex at the site, according to Reuters.

Similar steps were reportedly taken at the Natanz facility, which houses two additional enrichment plants.

“These efforts in Isfahan involve rebuilding its centrifuge program and other activities related to uranium enrichment,” Jafarzadeh said.

The renewed movements come as Iran participated in talks with the U.S. in Geneva.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that “bad things” would happen if Iran did not make a deal.

While the talks were aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, Jafarzadeh argues that for the regime, talks would be nothing more than a tactical delay.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “agreed to the nuclear talks as it would give the regime crucial time to avoid or limit the consequences of confrontation with the West,” according to Jafarzadeh. ( Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)

“Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei agreed to the nuclear talks as it would give the regime crucial time to avoid or limit the consequences of confrontation with the West,” he said.

Jafarzadeh also described the regime spending at least “$2 trillion” on nuclear capabilities, which he said “is higher than the entire oil revenue generated since the regime came to power in Iran in 1979.”

“Tehran is trying to salvage whatever has remained of its nuclear weapons program and quickly rebuild it,” he said. “It has heavily invested in the nuclear weapons program as a key tool for the survival of the regime.”

IRANIAN OFFICIAL SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WILL CONTINUE AFTER US, TEHRAN NEGOTIATIONS HAD ‘A GOOD START’ IN OMAN

Satellite imagery taken on January 30, 2026, shows a new roof over a previously destroyed building at the Natanz nuclear site. (2026 PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via Reuters)

Jafarzadeh is best known for publicly revealing the existence of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site in 2002, which led to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and intensified global scrutiny of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“The insistence of the Iranian regime during the nuclear talks on maintaining its uranium enrichment capabilities, while rebuilding its damaged sites, is a clear indication that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has no plans to abandon its nuclear weapons program,” he said.

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The National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by Maryam Rajavi, exposed for the first time the nuclear sites in Natanz, Arak, Fordow and more than 100 other sites and projects, Jafarzadeh said, “despite a massive crackdown by the regime on this movement.”

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.