Selecting Francis’ successor: An excruciating task

Selecting Francis’ successor: An excruciating task | Daily Tribune

Pope Francis will be laid to rest today, not at St. Peter’s Basilica, where popes are traditionally buried, but in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and where he often went to pray before an icon of the Mother of God.

With the late pontiff buried, the arduous task of selecting his successor will follow. The dean of the College of Cardinals will summon the cardinals to Rome for the conclave to elect a new Pope. They will enter the Sistine Chapel, where they will remain to debate and vote for their candidates until a successor is selected.

The cardinals’ selection will be based on various factors — age, health, and someone deemed able to lead the Church for a significant period of time.

Geographical representation is another crucial factor. To recall, two consecutive popes — John Paul II and Benedict XVI — were Europeans. The selection of Francis, an Argentinian, broke that pattern and the next pontiff could very well come from, perhaps, Africa or Asia, considering the Church’s growth in those regions.

The College of Cardinals is divided between progressive and conservative factions, and Francis’ successor could continue his reformist legacy or take a more traditional approach.

Conducted under extreme secrecy, the selection process will see 135 cardinal electors under the age of 80 — 108 appointed by Francis, 22 by his predecessor Benedict XVI, and five by John Paul II — closeted in the Sistine Chapel to deliberate and vote by secret ballot for their choices until a single name prevails.

It would be challenging to predict Francis’ successor. Still, names have been floated since his demise on Easter Monday, including that of Vatican Secretary of State, Italian and Vatican insider, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 69.

Parolin, who worked closely with Francis, is known as a skilled diplomat with deep knowledge of the Vatican’s inner workings — a strong contender, particularly among cardinals who want continuity. But he is Italian, and after two non-Italian pontiffs, electing another of that nationality could be viewed as a step backwards.

Moderate conservative and respected theologian, Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, 79, the Archbishop of Vienna, is seen as someone who balances tradition with pastoral openness.

Supportive of some of Francis’ reforms while maintaining doctrinal orthodoxy, Schönburn’s name has been mentioned but a drawback could be his age.

Likewise, Cardinal Robert Sarah, former Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship, who is from Ourous, French Guinea, and a Christian convert from animism. He is a leading voice for traditional Catholicism and has opposed many of Francis’ reforms.

Like Schönborn, his age, at 79, is a concern, but his strong conservative stance has appeal to cardinals who envision a Church reverting to doctrinal conservatism.

The 68-year-old Archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, is a highly regarded figure known for his role as an international conflict mediator. He was instrumental in the Rome General Peace Accords, which helped end the civil war in Mozambique in 1992.

More recently, he served as Pope Francis’s special envoy to Ukraine. His pastoral approach in pushing the Church forward through current troubled times aligns with Francis’s vision, making Zuppi a potential successor to Francis.

Strongly regarded, likewise, is Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, a known figure within social justice circles. As former head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Turkson is vocal on issues like climate change, poverty and economic justice. If elected, Turkson would be the first African pope since Gelasius who was born in Rome to African parents and served as pope from 492 to 496 AD.

A name on most everyone’s list is Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, the well-liked former Archbishop of Manila who was appointed cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. A charismatic pastoral figure who represents the growing Church in Asia, Tagle was named by Francis Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

With his strong commitment to social justice, human dignity, and poverty alleviation, Tagle is widely seen as a strong contender who could carry on Pope Francis’s progressive vision for the Church.

If chosen, Tagle will make history as the first pope from Asia, with his selection reflecting the growing presence of the Church in the Global South.

His nomination, however, won’t be without challenges, particularly posed by conservative elements within the Church who are not exactly enamored of his progressive views.

Finding Francis’ successor will be an excruciating task. The candidates being mentioned are reflective of tensions within the Church — reform versus tradition, Europe against the Global South.

Cardinals Tagle and Turkson are two strong progressive contenders opposite Cardinal Sarah. Cardinal Schönborn, meanwhile, could bridge divisions, and the conclave could go for a seasoned Vatican diplomat like Cardinal Parolin.

Ultimately, whoever is chosen will have a formidable task ahead of him. He will need to address declining Church attendance in the West, theological divisions, and the rise of secularism, a shift away from the Church’s traditional influence in education, law and social norms, and a decrease in religious adherence and practice.

Whether Francis’ successor continues his legacy or goes on a different course will shape Catholicism and the Church, overall, in decades to come.