Candidates to succeed Pope Francis

Experts say there is no single frontrunner to be the next Pope, but several names have been cited as indications of which direction the Roman Catholic Church might take

Pietro Parolin, 70 Soft-spoken Italian has been number two at Vatican since 2013, when Francis made him secretary of state

Fridolin Ambongo, 65 Archbishop of Kinshasa, capital of Democratic Rep. of Congo. Francis made him a cardinal in 2019

Péter Erdő, 72 Hungarian cardinal and Archbishop of Budapest is seen as strong choice among conservatives

Luis Antonio Tagle, 67 
Liberal-leaning Filipino was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Would be first Asian pope 

Anders  Arborelius, 75
Bishop of Stockholm was appointed Sweden’s first cardinal in 2017

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60 
Vatican’s top official for Middle East affairs. Made a cardinal in 2023, he would be first Italian pope since John Paul I in 1978 

Matteo Zuppi, 69
Archbishop of Bologna  is closely tied to Sant’Egidio Community, Rome-based
Catholic charity known for its service to the poor and conflict resolution

St. Peter’s Basilica


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