Who is favored to be the new pope

Extra spicy: the book was initially written together with pope emeritus Benedict. Sarah is a fighter. Since he became Archbishop of Conakry at the age of 34, he fought for the independence of the church from the autocratic regime and despite the persecution of priests and lay people, he did not shy away from making speeches against political power. In he was appointed the first cardinal in the history of the Church of Guinea. He hates gender ideology.

This certainly makes him the spearhead of the conservatives. He was removed from his job six months after his 75th birthday in It is the duty of every bishop to offer his resignation to the pope for reaching retirement age.

If the pope accepts it immediately, it is usually a sign that the pope wants to get rid of you. He owes his popularity to the middle position he occupies. He is seen as an intelligent theologian with strong traditional views, but also with a balanced reforming spirit. He is known for his tolerant views and his openness to dialogue.

For example, he had words of praise for his compatriot Conchita Wurst, a self-proclaimed drag queen female appearance with beard , who won the European song contest in Neither will the mother church.

Whether a church blessing is always the right form of expression is something that still needs to be given careful consideration. You can say what you like about the Roman Catholic Church, but not that it is a closed white bastion. Strong candidates come from the non-Western world. One of the most brilliant people is this young cardinal from the Philippines, the most Catholic country in Asia. Asia is the future of the Catholic Church, that by the way is also the continent where Jesus was born.

Europe and also America are engaged in a relentless move towards secularism. Africa, though a growing Catholic territory, is a problematic continent. After having been Archbishop of Manila, Tagle started a shining career in the Vatican. This led him to two important positions. First, he was made director of Caritas internationalis, the most important Catholic relief organisation in the world.

With that, you make friends everywhere. In , Tagle was appointed head of the important Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. This department, which was once called Propaganda Fide, deals with most of the so-called developing countries. Bishop appointments in Africa and Asia are also prepared by Tagle and not by Ouellet chief of the Congregation for Bishops. Tagle has ties with both the United States, where he studied for seven years, and China, where his mother comes from.

He therefore has a strong political profile. Tagle gets on extremely well with pope Francis. They have more or less the same mind set. Whoever wants the line of Francis to be continued after his death or abdication will find Tagle a good one. Another barrier is his age. Tagle is about the age when Karol Wojtyla became pope. The Polish prelate stood at the helm for almost 28 years and thus left his mark a bit too much, some say on the papacy. Read official information on all statistics about the College of Cardinals.

Turkson was no stranger to the world before either. At the age of 55, he became a cardinal, the first from Ghana in history. A few years later, he became head of the Congregation for Justice, a department that was later absorbed into the Human Development department.

His approach to interreligious dialogue is very strong, partly because he himself comes from a mixed family of faith. He had a paternal uncle who was Muslim. It may have something to do with the fact that the non specialized press pushes for a black pope as that would look modern. That is a dangerous stance. At the beginning of the millennium, Francis Arinze Nigeria, was frequently mentioned as a papabile, but received no votes at all in the conclave.

Like many African prelates, Turkson is quite conservative in moral matters. He is certainly a critical of neo-liberalism. Cardinal Turkson has worked out a proposal to reform the international financial system by creating a kind of global government authority and a World Bank that take into account the interests of all developing countries.

He criticises the current structure of the International Monetary Fund and other institutions. With Italians making up some 20 per cent of the College of Cardinals, the Italian bloc is to be reckoned with. When he does decide to leave The Cardinals will vote by secret ballot to choose the next Pope with a two-thirds majority needed. The new Pope will then be asked if he accepts his election, and if he does he will choose a Papal Name.

Both cardinals Peter Turkson and Marc Oulette were towards the head of the next pope betting in when Pope Frances was chosen. Certainly, a Pope from the Africa continent such as Peter Turkson would seem "the right choice" as the world looks for a more inclusive solution to issues. The next pope betting market has no clear favourite currently with a host of Cardinals and an Archbishop towards the front of the betting.

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He takes his reporting and scholarly research to put together a book that highlights prelates such as Cardinal Raymond Burke of the United States and Robert Sarah of Guinea. Cardinal Sarah, the most-prominent African prelate, would make sense as next pope.

As the church continues to grow in Africa, the election of Sarah could bring new followers and intensify the faith of Roman Catholics across that continent. The list also includes some Italians, always favorites for the papacy. A year after retiring, Scola expressed opposition to giving Communion to those who are divorced and civilly remarried, which has been the focus of controversy surrounding Francis's apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia.

Like the U. Supreme Court, the College of Cardinals is stacked with Francis promotions, which could very well sway the theological leanings of the next pope. Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. Follow him on Twitter ClementeLisi.