Church Expert Predicts Election Of Next Pope Will Feature ‘most Diverse’ Conclave In Church History

Pope Francis’ accent connected reaching retired to nan "peripheries" of nan Catholic Church and world will consequence successful nan astir divers postulation of religion leaders successful history gathering to prime nan caller pope. 

According to Mary FioRito, an master connected papal elections and a elder chap astatine nan Catholic Association, this could very good consequence successful nan adjacent pope having a very different group of priorities than nan late pontiff. 

Francis has selected astir 80% of nan 135 religion leaders – called cardinals – who will ballot for nan adjacent pope successful nan upcoming papal conclave.

The consequence will beryllium that alternatively of being dominated by European aliases moreover Western cardinals, nan conclave will person ample contingents from regions for illustration Africa and Asia.

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A personification holds a image of precocious Pope Francis astatine nan Basílica de San José de Flores, wherever he worshipped arsenic a youth, pursuing nan Vatican's announcement of his death, successful Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Gustavo Garello/AP)

"This will beryllium nan astir divers conclave successful nan history of nan church," FioRito said.

But this diverseness could spell a departure from immoderate of nan defining focuses of Francis’ pontificate, specified arsenic his accent connected "synodality," that is, gatherings of mini groups from astir nan world to talk questions of theology and religion practice.

FioRito sees this adjacent conclave, which she said will apt statesman May 5, arsenic a mobility of whether nan adjacent pope will beryllium a man who continues Francis’ bequest aliases shifts nan church’s attraction to problems for illustration persecution and poverty, which are awesome issues successful countries for illustration Nigeria, Pakistan and India.

In Nigeria alone, wherever astir half of nan organization is Christian, 3,100 Christians were killed and 2,830 were kidnapped successful 2024, according a study by world belief state watchdog Open Doors. 

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Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus blessing from his residence astatine nan Casa Santa Marta connected Nov. 26, 2023 successful Vatican City. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

In this sense, FioRito predicted that nan African cardinals, who now shape a important voting bloc successful nan conclave, will play a awesome domiciled successful selecting nan adjacent pope.

She explained that nan African religion has a very different group of priorities, which person been shaped successful ample portion by nan realities of accelerated maturation coupled pinch aggravated persecution.

"We're concerned astir things for illustration ambiance change, and they're concerned astir not being locked successful a religion and group connected fire," she explained. "They're not sitting astir astatine these tables for 10 discussing awesome ideas. They conscionable want to make judge their kid gets to schoolhouse without getting changeable and they tin salary their rent this month."

With that will travel a desire to prime a pope who will respect nan African religion arsenic an adjacent and who will guidelines against "ideological colonization" from nan West pinch concepts for illustration ambiance change, abortion and gender ideology.

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Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson waits to speech Christmas greetings pinch Pope Francis astatine nan Clementina Hall connected Dec. 21, 2013, successful Vatican City. (Franco Origlia/Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

"The cardinals successful Africa are very delicate to this benignant of ideological colonialism wherever they're not being colonized successful nan accepted way, but nan ideas of nan West are coming successful and attempting to alteration African civilization pinch Western ideas without listening to nan group first," she said.

With this successful mind, FioRito pointed to Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, who astatine 71 is young capable to beryllium selected and is seen by galore arsenic a "John Paul II-type personality." He is respected by some nan Pope Francis synodality camps arsenic good arsenic nan African bishops.

Another candidate, FioRito said, who could perchance "bridge nan gap" betwixt nan different worlds is American-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, who presently serves arsenic nan president of nan Pontifical Commission for Latin America. However, FioRito noted that Prevost whitethorn beryllium little apt if cardinals "don't want to spot truthful overmuch of nan world's powerfulness concentrated successful nan United States."

FioRito besides predicted issues of modernity versus tradition, which person spelled immoderate of nan astir important controversies during Francis’ pontificate successful nan West, will besides play a factor.

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Cardinals locomotion successful convoy to nan Sistine Chapel astatine nan Vatican, astatine nan opening of nan conclave connected April 18, 2005. (Osservatore Romano via AP)

She said that amid a wide diminution successful religion successful nan West, location has been a palpable displacement successful young group embracing much accepted forms of believe successful nan church, specified arsenic nan accepted Latin Mass.

"That's wherever nan 20-somethings are going to Mass," she said. "In a world wherever there's truthful overmuch crassness and vulgarity, you person thing present that's timeless and conscionable benignant of transports you to different world."

Despite this, she said nan rumor of nan accepted Latin Mass is much of a "niche liturgical rumor that I don't deliberation is going to person overmuch impact."

FioRito noted that, dissimilar governmental elections, nan action of nan adjacent pope is little astir a group of issues aliases policies, but alternatively is much astir nan man himself.

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Cardinals of nan Catholic Church be nan predetermination conclave successful nan Sistine Chapel connected April 18, 2005 astatine nan Vatican. (Arturo Mari, Vatican Pool)

"I wouldn't building it successful position of issues, arsenic if we're talking astir nan system aliases migration. We're looking astatine individual men and asking ourselves, who tin service nan religion champion astatine this infinitesimal and who is nan personification champion equipped to return connected this world role?" she said.

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"The beatified father's domiciled is to beryllium a halfway of unity for nan religion successful preaching nan connection and nan gospel," FioRito went on. "So, it's looking astatine individual people, their strengths, their weaknesses, their backgrounds, what limitations they mightiness have. And past really, successful a very prayerful way, asking, what does nan religion request now successful a caller pope?"

"My consciousness of it," she went on, "I deliberation nan cardinals request to beryllium looking astatine nan religion coming globally and not conscionable successful their ain backyards, but globally and saying, ‘Who is nan man who tin champion return nan religion guardant into this caller era?'"