May 05, 2025
The conclave to select a new pontiff gets underway on May 7, 2025.
Who selects the next pope? Roman Catholic cardinals, and there are 252 of them worldwide, but only 135 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote for the successor to Pope Francis. Two of them, Antonio Cañizares of Spain and John Njue of Kenya, cannot attend, and of the 133 electors participating, Francis appointed 108 of them.
Is there a list of contenders? The cardinals can vote for their preferred colleague to take the top spot at the Vatican, and there’s no official shortlist of candidates. But there are a handful who are considered frontrunners — our sources say to look at French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on the progressive end, and the Italian Cardinals Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Pietro Parolin for the conservatives.
All eyes will be on how the trajectory of the largest religious institution in world history shifts under a new pope.
From Your Site Articles
More For You
- YouTube
Who among us has not gotten stiffed by a superpower. #PUPPETREGIME
Most Popular
- YouTube
Dinner at 8:30, you know where #PUPPETREGIME
Last week, the US’s fertility rate hit a record low: CDC data for 2025 showed that for every 1000 women aged 15 to 44, only 53 gave birth each year, down from 54 the previous year.
As Afghan farmers struggle with high operating costs and low crop prices, more are taking a risk by illegally growing poppy to feed their families.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.