The Conclave starts today – here are 4 of the leading candidates

The election of the next Pope officially kicks of today as 133 cardinals will take part in the Conclave to find the successor to Pope Francis – but don’t hold your breath waiting for the results.

The Scene is Set

After the passing of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is waiting to find out who the next Pop will be – and even though it’s not very realistic, the answer might be ready today.

The Conclave

Today, 133 Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, marking the beginning of the election process to find the new Pope.

Time limit

But when we said, you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for a result, we meant it. There is no time limit for the Conclave, and even though the shortest Conclave ever lasted only hours, the longest ever lastet more than three years.

Sworn to secrecy

The 133 cardinals come from 70 different countries across five continents. They have to leave their phones behind when the voting process begins, and they are sworn to secrecy about what goes on. So who can the Cardinals select in 2025?

Impossible to predict, but …

Technically any Roman Catholic male can be elected, but it’s not realistic. Since 1379, every pope has been electe from the College of Cardinals, the 133 Cardinals casting the votes at the conclave. Experts say this Conclave will be near-impossible to predict, but that being said, there are som favourites.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Cardinal Parolin, 70, has been the Secretary of State for Vatican City since 2013, and he is the highest-ranking member of the Conclave. The Italian-born is described as a moderate and sensible figure within the Church.

Cardinal Peter Erdo

Cardinal Erdo, 72, is the former president of the Councel of the Bishop’s Conference in Europe. He is also a Marian, meaning he devotes his practices to mother of Jesus, Mary. The Hungarian is considered the leading candidate on the conservative part of the Church.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline

Cardinal Aveline, 66, has been the Archbishop of Marseille, France, since 2019 and is said to be the successor the late Pope Francis would have picked himself. The Frenchman is described as rather liberal though inclined to consensus.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Cardinal Pizzaballa, 60, is the youngest of the favourites, and he is the leader of the Catholics in the Holy Land. The Italian was the first to condemn the October 7th 2023-attack by Hamas, and he has offered to exchange himself for Israeli children taken hostage.

The White Smoke

Because the Cardinals are sworn to secrecy during the Conclave, noone outside knows how far along the selection process is. Every day, the Conclave will send out smoke to signal whether a new Pope has been elected: If the smoke is black, noone has been elected, but if it’s white, a new pope has been found.