The Vatican announced that Pope Francis passed away at 7:35am on April 21.
The reported cause of death was a stroke and heart failure. During a 38-day hospitalization in February and March, Pope Francis almost died twice due to a respiratory crisis.
The Pope was battling many health issues before his death, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and acute respiratory failure.
The Pope made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. He arrived at the Easter Vigil Mass in the Popemobile, greeting thousands in St. Peter’s Square with the top down.
The cardinals have a mourning period for 16-days before they begin the voting of a new pope. The conclave, a term for the voting council of Cardinals, will convene on May 7th to decide the next pope.
The cardinals will be confined to the inside of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel for the duration of the papal election.
They vote up to three times a day and put their votes inside of a furnace.
A longstanding papal tradition, the furnace burns the votes, and chemicals are used to change the color of the smoke. Once a new pope has been elected with a two thirds majority, the smoke is white. Otherwise, black smoke comes out of the chimney.
The three leading candidates for the papacy are Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, and Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson.
Parolin was previously the Cardinal Secretary of State for the Vatican since 2013. He played a very important role in negotiations with Chinese and Middle Eastern governments. Parolin is seen as someone to provide stability while still holding some of Francis’s reforms.
Tagle is a strong contender to continue Pope Francis’s ongoing agenda. Dubbed “Asian Francis”, the 32nd Archbishop of Manila holds a moderate stance on political issues including abortion and LGBTQ representation. Tagle has also been a strong advocate for inclusion and preaching. His previous experience was leading the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Turkson was previously the former head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Turkson has been very vocal on issues such as poverty, climate change, and economic justice.
As the current situation stands, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is most likely to be selected as the next pope due to his previous experiences.
Parolin was previously the Cardinal Secretary of State for the Vatican, and attended many conferences, meetings, and negotiations. His experience helped him to understand the duties and responsibilities of the Pope.
In addition, Parolin also knows how to deal with a rigorous schedule the best out of all three leading candidates, making him a favorable choice for the next Pope, casting diplomatic, cultural, and spiritual influences to the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.
