Who Will Replace Pope Francis? List of Candidates & Process Explained
Following the Catholic Church head, Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88, the world is in a state of mourning. While his demise has left a void in the Vatican City, many are curious to know who will replace Pope Francis.
Here are all the details regarding the candidates for the Pope’s position and the secretive process of selecting his successor.
Who is the frontrunner for Pope Francis’ replacement?
Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced that Pope Francis passed away at 88 on Monday, April 21, 2025. He was facing numerous health issues like pneumonia, bronchitis, and diverticulitis in the past few days. This left him unable to walk and speak properly at times.
While the world is heartbroken to lose a leader like the late 266th Pope, the cardinals are now tasked with electing his successor.
Here is a potential list of the candidates who can replace Pope Francis:
- Pietro Parolin – The 70-year-old served as the secretary of state after being appointed by Francis in 2014.
- Peter Erdo – The 72-year-old holds the position of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences’ head and Budapest’s archbishop.
- Marc Ouellet – The 80-year-old served as the archbishop of Canada previously.
- Reinhard Marx – Francis appointed the 71-year-old as the archbishop of Munich and Freising in 2013.
- Robert Sarah – The 79-year-old previously served the Vatican’s liturgy office and retired in 2021.
- Robert Prevost – The 69-year-old is the current prefect of the dicastery for bishops in the Vatican City.
- Luis Antonio Tagle – The 67-year-old leads the missionary evangelization office in the Vatican.
- Christoph Schoenborn – The 80-year-old is the current archbishop of Vienna.
- Matteo Zuppi – The 69-year-old was elected as the Italian bishops’ conference’s president in 2022 and is Bologna’s archbishop.
- Peter Turkson – The 76-year-old is currently the chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences. He was previously also the Archbishop of Cape Coast from 1992 to 2009.
How is Pope Francis’ replacement selected?
The replacement of Pope Francis will be announced by holding a secretive meeting called a Conclave. This highly classified meeting takes place 15 to 20 days after the Pope’s death.
As per a statement by DePaul University’s Catholic studies professor, Bill Cavanaugh, to People, this process involves all the cardinals locking themselves in the Sistine Chapel and voting on the successor.
Additionally, Cavanaugh stated that the voting rights are held by those cardinals “who are under 80.” He added, “A papal candidate needs two-thirds of the vote of the voting cardinals to be elected.”
Meanwhile, expert Kathleen Sprows Cummings elaborated that the cardinals indicate the election of a new pope by sending a smoke signal from the Sistine Chapel chimney. She stated, “If it’s black, it means they have not elected a pope. And then if it’s white, that means that we have a new pope.”
