After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the world is waiting to see who will succeed him, as the Cardinals gather in Rome for the Papal Conclave.
He was the first Latin American Pope, so did that signal a more expansive transformation within the Catholic Church and will we now see the first black or Asian Pope? Here are the top contenders to become the next Supreme Pontiff.
Peter Turkson, 76
The former Bishop of the Cape Coast would be the first black Pope and would have the appeal of reaching out to Africa.
Born in Ghana, he was sent by Pope Francis as a peace envoy to South Sudan. He occupies the middle ground on the thorny subject of gay relationships, asserting that laws in numerous African countries are too harsh but that the opinions of Africans on the subject must be respected.
Turkson was the bookies’ favourite at one point during the 2013 conclave, when Francis was selected.
Luis Antonio Tagle, 67
In the betting markets, Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila, has taken the lead. Being the first Asian Pope in the area with the fastest-growing Catholic population would make him appealing.
Despite his opposition to abortion rights in the Philippines, he is seen as one of the more liberal contenders. He has bemoaned how the Catholic church’s evangelistic efforts have been hindered by its excessively severe treatment of LGBT and divorced couples.
Pietro Parolin, 70
He is the closest to a ‘continuity candidate’, having worked with Pope Francis as Cardinal Secretary of State. He is seen as a moderate, though not as close to the liberal wing as Francis has sometimes appeared to be.
When Ireland voted in 2015 to legalise same-sex marriage, Parolin described it as ‘a defeat for humanity’.
In current times, Parolin’s star has fallen a little thanks to his being the architect of the 2018 agreement between the Holy See and China, which some regard as a sell-out to the Chinese Communist Party.
Peter Erdo, 72
The Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest would be the second Pope, after John Paul II, to have administered in the former Soviet bloc when church leaders were frequently victimised.
He campaigned for his predecessor Jozsef Minszenty to be exonerated after being arrested for opposing Hungary’s communist regime.
As a staunch conservative, Erdo has opposed Catholics who have divorced or remarried from obtaining holy communion.
Jose Tolentino, 59
Not to be confused with the US baseball player of the exact name, and usually bears the suffix ‘de Mendonca’ to differentiate himself. Hailing from Cristiano Ronaldo’s birthplace of Madeira, Portugal, he has served as an Archbishop as well as held down several Vatican positions.
As the – relative – youth candidate, he has advocated that biblical scholars engage with the modern world by watching films and listening to music.
Matteo Zuppi, 69
Zuppi has been Archbishop of Bologna since 2015 and was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019. Two years ago, the Pope made him the Vatican peace envoy for Ukraine, in which capacity he visited Moscow to ‘encourage gestures of humanity’. While he didn’t have an audience with Putin, he did meet the president’s controversial ally Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, but with little diplomatic progress to show for his efforts.
Mario Grech, 68
Maltese Grech, has formerly acted as the Bishop of Gozo and is now the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. He has called for the church to ‘learn a new language’ when dealing with gay couples and divorcees, although is also seen as something of a traditionalist.
Robert Sarah, 79
Born in French Guinea, Sarah is another possibility as the first black pope – although age is not on his side.
He has been working in Vatican positions since the time of John Paul II. A conservative, he has condemned gender ideology as a danger to society. He has also spoken out against Islamic fundamentalism.
I actually can’t comprehend why the media always attempt to make everything about race – who cares, the next pope will be a human being, and will hopefully be made pope because of the ability to do the job. I do hope that a slightly younger person is selected for the position, and that’s not because an older one couldn’t do the job, but they would hopefully last a wee bit longer.
It appears that a bunch of people are debating about who should be the next pope – Jesus, pardon the pun, the last one isn’t even cold yet!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 