Cardinals prepare to choose next Pope after Francis’s death
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With the Vatican announcing Pope Francis’s death on Monday, attention now turns to who will succeed him. The secretive conclave of cardinals under 80, most appointed by Francis himself, will soon gather in Rome to elect the next pope from among their ranks.
Francis’s appointments significantly shifted the Church’s leadership away from its traditional European base. He named over 20 cardinals from developing nations and often bypassed major Western cities with conservative leadership, aiming to reflect the global nature of Catholicism. Today, non-European cardinals make up a larger share of electors than ever before.
Though many expect another progressive, possibly non-European pope, nothing is certain until white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel.
A pope’s appointments often shape his legacy, but successor choices can also break from that legacy. Francis’s own election followed calls for change after Pope Benedict’s resignation, highlighting how Church priorities and global context shape these decisions.
Even cardinals over 80, while barred from voting, will still influence the outcome by participating in pre-conclave discussions that define the qualities desired in the next pontiff.
