🇻🇦 - With considerable speculation taking place around Francis' health, here are the runners and riders for the next papal conclave:
Cdl. Tagle - Liberal, ex-Archbishop of Manila, seen as the "Asian Francis," supports Rome's stance on LGBT and divorced couples.
Cdl. Erdő - Conservative, Primate (chief bishop) of Hungary, supports Orbán, has spoken out against Francis over migration, divorce.
Cdl. Turkson - Conservative, been in Rome since 2009 so has an inside advantage.
Cdl. Sarah - Long-standing hope of traditionalists, known for support of the Latin Mass and staunch criticism of the current pope, but over 80 - so can't vote.
Cdl. Parolin - Vatican secretary of state, seen as Francis' number two, would be the first Italian to sit in St Peter's since John Paul I. Little is really known about his personal beliefs.
Cdl. Zuppi - Arguably the most liberal candidate, close collaborator with American leftist, pro-gay and anti-Trump priest James Martin, allegedly blessed a gay wedding per conservative Catholic media in Italy.
Cdl. Pizzaballa - Moderate, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, advocate for peace in the Levant war, supports inter-Christian outreach.
Cdls. Eijk (of Utrecht) Aborelius (of Stockholm) and Ranjith (of Colombo) have also been suggested as potential candidates.
Analysts suspect the next conclave will be mainly between Tagle and Erdő, with both representing their wings of the Church. Nonetheless, Pizzaballa, in our opinion, could emerge as a compromise candidate.
It's worth bearing in mind that anyone can be elected pope - this list is just a guide. John Paul II, when he went into the 1979 conclave as Archbishop Wojtyla of Krakow, was completely unknown outside Poland.
Follow: @ThermopylaeNews
