Some Candidates for the New Papacy
Today we will share with you an article from the BBC which discusses many likely candidates that may be elected as the next pope.
One candidate is Pietro Parolin who is 70 years of age, and is of Italian background.
Pietro was the Vatican’s Secretary of State under the pontificate of Pope Francis, and was also the leader of the “Roman Curia,” which is the main administration for the Church.
Pietro has been outspoken against the legalisation of same-sex marriage. In 2015, he opposed the victory in favour of same-sex marriage in Ireland by stating that it was “A defeat for humanity.” In addition, the article also states that there is a significant chance that he will prioritize a global outlook and diplomacy rather than the essence of Catholic dogma.
Unfortunately however, there has not been a Pope of Italian descent in the last 40 years of the papacy.
Another possible candidate is Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle who is 67 years of age and with a background from the Philippines. 80% of the population of The Philippines is Catholic.
Cardinal Tagle has several decades of experience leading his church community. He is known to be a moderate, and is quite similar to Pope Francis, as he also has the same interest and perseverance in solving social problems such as those related to migrants. He has been very critical of abortion labelling it “a form of murder,” in addition to opposing euthnaisa.
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu is 65 years old with a Congolese background.
Ambongo is a cultural conservative and is critical of same-sex marriage stating that “unions of persons of the same sex are considered contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically evil.”
Where he lives, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Christians have encountered death and persecution from the group “Islamic State,” and other rebels. Within the country, he has been seen as a determined fighter for the Church.
Conversely in a 2020 interview, Cardinal Ambongo stated that he believed in the idea of several religions, “Let Protestants be Protestants and Muslims be Muslims. We are going to work with them. But everyone has to keep their own identity.”
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is 76 years old with a Ghanaian background.
Turkson was the first individual from Ghana to ever be made a Cardinal in the year 2003, under the now Saint Pope John Paul II. Turkson is conservative, but has been critical of criminalizations of gay relationships in Africa. In a 2023 BBC interview, he expressed that he does not believe that homosexuality should be treated as an offense under the law in Ghana.
Peter Erdo is 72 years old with a Hungarian background.
Cardinal Erdo is held with high esteem in the Church as he has led the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences in 2006 and 2016.
He holds conservative views on the family. Throughout the European migrant problems in the year 2015, he noted that the Church would not accept any migrants as he considered it equivalent to human trafficking.
Angelo Scola is 83 years old and is of Italian background.
Only cardinals less than 80 years of age can participate in Conclave voting, however, he still has the capacity to be elected for the position of Pope. His popularity has been pronounced entering the Conclave as he released a book on April 24th with a preface written by Pope Francis before he was admitted to hospital.
Reinhard Marx is 71 years old with a German background.
Since Francis became Pope in the year 2013, he has served as one of his advisors. Marx primarily advised on reform in the Church, and presently still advises on financial reform within the Vatican.
Marx has pushed for a more accommodating approach towards transgender and homosexual individuals within Catholic teachings. In the year of 2021, Marx wanted to resign from his position due to large issues in combating child sexual abuse within Germany’s Church. Pope Francis rejected Marx’s offer to resign.
Marc Ouellet is 80 years old with a Canadian background.
Ouellet has been considered as a candidate for the position of Pope in 2013 and in 2005. He is a conservative with a modern outlook, who greatly supports the idea of ensuring celibacy for all male priests. He is critical of women becoming priests within the Catholic Church, but believes that women should have a larger role overall in the Catholic Church.
Robert Prevost is 69 years of age and is of American background.
If Prevost is elected as Pope, he would become the very first American to be elected in the role. Prevost spent several years in Peru working as a missionary, and eventually later became an archbishop while there. Additionally, he was also one of the main facilitators of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
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