2016-06-30
As Catholics worldwide mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, their thoughts also begin to turn to his possible successor. Although surprises are a frequent feature of the papal selection process, the following cardinals are among those most often cited as likely candidates for the papacy.

Francis Arinze (Nigeria) | Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Argentina) | Tarcisio Bertone (Italy)
Godfried Danneels (Belgium) | Ivan Dias (India) | Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa (Chile)
Claudio Hummes (Brazil) | Walter Kasper (Germany) | Wilfrid Fox Napier (South Africa) | Keith O'Brien (Scotland) | Jose da Criz Policarpo (Portugal) | Joseph Ratzinger (Germany) | Norberto Rivera Carrera (Mexico) | Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras) | Christoph Schonborn (Austria) | Angelo Scola (Italy) | Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy)



Cardinal Christoph Schonborn
Country: Austria
Age: 60
Website: Archdiocese of Vienna
News: Schoenborn May Face Skepticism from Muslims
More: The Right Way to Apologize

Some say that Schonborn who leads the archdiocese of Vienna, could potentially be an innovative pope, particularly given his experience with restive Catholics in Austria. Generally, however, Schonborn is seen as someone who would continue in the style of John Paul II.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
    Country: Italy
    Age: 70
    Website: Diocese of Genoa
    News: Bertone Raises Profile
    More: "Don't Read the DaVinci Code!"

    A one-time lieutenant of Cardinal Ratzinger within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bertone, who is from Genoa, is another arch-conservative voice in the Church. Bertone recently made headlines by urging Catholics not to read or purchase the best-selling novel "The DaVinci Code."


    Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
    Country: Germany
    Age: 78
    Website: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
    Review: The Ratzinger Rap Sheet
    More: A Friendly Fight Between Two Cardinals and Listening to Ratzinger Make His Case

    A staunchly conservative figure within the church, Ratzinger, from Bavaria, was the longtime leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Roman Catholic Church orthodoxy, up until his resignation in April 2005. He is known for his tough and often controversial statements on topics such as homosexuality, which he called "objectively disordered," and the validity of other Christian denominations.
  • Read more about him



  • Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo
    Country: Portugal
    Age: 69
    Website: Diocese of Lisbon

    The Lisbon patriarch is widely admired for his intellect and his interest in re-evangelizing Europe.


    Cardinal Francis Arinze
    Country: Nigeria
    Age: 72
    Website: Prefect of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
    Speech: Arinze's Controversial Commencement Address
    News: Supporters of Abortion "Not Fit" to Receive Communion
    More: White Smoke for a Black Pope?


    The 72-year-old Arinze, from Nigeria, who, up until recently, headed the Prefect of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome, has been a cardinal for more than 20 years. He previously spent two decades as the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Godfried Danneels
    Country: Belgium
    Age: 71
    Website: Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel
    News: Cardinal Urges Papacy Term-Limit Debate

    Danneels, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel, is viewed as an intellectual heavyweight, as well as a doctrinal moderate who has called for discussion on such contentious issues as mandatory celibacy and a greater role for women.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Keith O'Brien
    Country: Scotland
    Age: 67
    Website: Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh

    The Scottish cardinal, Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, has also been seen as open to considering changes on issues like priestly celibacy and the role of women in the church. Last year, he condemned the Scottish government for "child abuse" in launching a public sex-education campaign.


    Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera
    Country: Mexico
    Age: 62
    Website: Archdiocese of Mexico
    News: Ending U.S. 'Xenophobic Attitudes'

    Latin America is home to nearly half the world's Catholics, and Rivera, Archbishop of Mexico, is a frequently mentioned candidate for the papacy. He has called for an end to "xenophobic attitudes" in the United States against illegal aliens from Mexico.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier
    Country: South Africa
    Age: 64
    Website: Archdiocese of Durban

    Another African candidate, Napier, is Archbishop of Durban, South Africa and judged by many to be more likely than Arinze to be elected pope. He has criticized the South African government for promoting condoms in the fight against HIV/Aids.


    Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
    Country: Argentina
    Age: 69
    Website: Archdiocese of Buenos Aires

    The 69-year-old Archbishop of Argentina is the only Jesuit on the papal short list. He was appointed a cardinal in 2001 and is seen as a contender mainly because of interest in a Latin American pope.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga
    Country: Honduras
    Age: 62
    Website: Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa
    News: Globalization of Poverty
    More: Who Will Be the Next Pope?

    Rodriguez, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, is the most widely mentioned possible successor to the pope from Latin America. He has had his share of controversies, however, once comparing the clergy sexual abuse coverage to "the times of Nero and Diocletian, and more recently, of Stalin and Hitler."
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Claudio Hummes
    Country: Brazil
    Age: 70
    Website: Archdiocese of Sao Paulo
    More: "Abortion a Serious Moral Crime"

    A Franciscan, Hummes is Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Traditional on doctrinal matters, he also supports greater decentralization in the church.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi
    Country: Italy
    Age: 71
    Website: Archdiocese of Milan
    More: Stance on Gay Civil Rights

    When Tettamanzi was assigned to lead the archdiocese of Milan, many said that, because of Milan's wealth and power, he was taking his place as a possible papal successor. Tettamanzi is considered to be a moderate.
  • Read more about him.



    Cardinal Ivan Dias
    Country: India
    Age: 69
    Website: Archdiocese of Bombay

    The 69-year-old Archbishop of Bombay has served in locations from Scandinavia to Indonesia to Magadascar. He also served the Vatican Secretariat of State early in his career, working for nine years in Eastern Europe at the height of the Cold War.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa
    Country: Chile
    Age: 71
    Website: Archdiocese of Santiago
    News: Pope Names New Cardinals

    Archbishop of Santiago, Errazuriz is widely traveled and has worked in a variety of settings. He has served in the Vatican as the Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and is currently the President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), heading a rather divided group of bishops.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Walter Kasper
    Country: Germany
    Age: 71
    Website: Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
    News: Jewish Group Urges Vatican to Open Archives
    More: A Friendly Fight Between Two Cardinals and The Other German

    An accomplished theologian and author, Kasper is widely respected for his work in Christian ecumenical relations. He is the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
  • Read more about him.


    Cardinal Angelo Scola
    Country: Italy
    Age: 63
    Website: Archdiocese of Venice
    News: Scola Raises Profile
    More: Stance on Ordaining Women

    Patriarch of Venice, Scola recently resigned as the head of the Pontifical Institute on Marriage and the Family, which has promoted the pope's conservative views on sexuality, abortion, and marriage. One of his main concerns is the "fracture" between the church and contemporary culture and he is interested in bioethics and the "culture of life."
  • Read more about him.
  • more from beliefnet and our partners
    Close Ad