Who will succeed Pope Francis?
Following the death of Pope Francis, it is now up to the 135 cardinals under the age of 80 to elect the new head of the Catholic Church from among their ranks. Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State and until now the second most powerful man there, is being touted as the top candidate. Around 80 percent of the cardinals eligible to vote were appointed by Francis, but according to Europe's press it by no means certain that his chosen course will be continued.
A man at the institutional centre
La Stampa explains why Cardinal Pietro Parolin is seen as the favourite:
“Since it is unthinkable to take a step backwards after Bergoglio's unfinished renewal and erase the most revolutionary papacy in recent history, it will be the new pope's task to find solutions to urgent questions and planned changes that have been halted by the reactions of the 'other' church. ... Will women be allowed to say mass at some point? Should the blessing of homosexuals be continued? Will married priests be accepted in the house of the Lord? Answers to these questions will take time and require a truce between the conflicting parties. ... Such a task requires experience and knowledge of the complex system of the Church which affects the whole world. Hence the candidature of Secretary of State Parolin.”
Time for a black pope
Dejan Steinbuch, editor-in-chief of +Portal, hopes for another bold choice:
“If the cardinals are able to reach an agreement during the conclave on what kind of universal Church leader is the best choice for the next decade or more, then another miracle could happen. Perhaps we will get the first black pope (Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah's name has been mentioned), which would finally rid the Church of old prejudices and traumas. I say miracle because in a sense Francis already accomplished one by refuting prophecies that the Roman Catholic Church was facing difficult times or even collapse.”
Conservatives in pole position
The next pope will come from the Global South again and therefore not be a liberal, the Financial Times speculates:
“Those divisions [between liberals and conservatives] will carry into what is set to be a hard-fought contest for his succession. Today's Catholic church is increasingly, in terms of membership, one of the Global South, and cardinals will face pressure to elect another pope from beyond Europe, and one sensitive to issues of poverty and the environment. Yet many church leaders, and adherents, from the Global South are also socially conservative - in contrast to some more liberal-minded followers in wealthier countries.”
Maintain key messages
The conclave should elect a successor who, like Francis, champions mercy and inclusion, the Times of Malta urges:
“The forces of religious conservatism, sometimes dangerously aligned with far-right political movements, are pushing for a return to a more rigid, exclusionary Catholicism. Such a retreat would not only betray Francis's legacy but would accelerate the Church's irrelevance in an increasingly pluralistic world. ... The next conclave must recognise that Francis's approach was not about following secular trends but about recovering the essential Christian message of love, mercy, and radical inclusion.”
Focus on the faithful
Welt newspaper considers a fundamental change of course unnecessary:
“Neither a Western European liberal reformism nor a religious ultra-conservatism of the 'Global South' would do justice to the circumstances, both would divide. ... It would make sense now to streamline and consolidate work processes and return to what is institutionally necessary in the Vatican so that it doesn't continue to bring unrest to the universal Church. Let the cardinals in the conclave decide as they see fit. ... But if for once a person who doesn't seem particularly unusual and has nothing particular in mind, but simply wants to create a faithful community were elected, it could do the Church good.”