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.

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

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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. 

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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.”

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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.

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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 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. 

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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.”

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.

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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.

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 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.

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.