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Cardinals arrive for a college of cardinals' meeting at the Vatican this morning Alamy Stock Photo

Next pope: What the Vatican choreography tells us about the possible outcome of the conclave

There are 252 cardinals, but only 135 are eligible to vote in the Conclave.

LAST UPDATE | 24 Apr

ON TUESDAY MORNING, just over 24 hours after Pope Francis’s death was announced to the world by Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the College of Cardinals met in the Vatican.

There are 252 cardinals, but only 135 are under 80 and therefore eligible to vote in the Conclave to elect a new pope.

Francis himself appointed 108 of these 135 voting Cardinals and while many are aligned with his thinking, not all are.

Cardinal Fridolin Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is thought to be a contender for the next pope, has openly opposed Francis’s decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.

There was some upset at the swift pace of the first meeting of Cardinals following Francis’s death, officially titled the first General Congregation of the College of Cardinals.

Cardinals had received a letter on Monday summoning them to the Vatican in “preparation for the Conclave”, and Cardinals over 80 and without a Conclave vote were also invited to attend.

Some 60 Cardinals were in attendance, but Cardinal Joseph Zen from Hong Kong noted it was virtually impossible for many Cardinals from far-flung regions to attend.

At 93, Zen is too old to partake in the Conclave and at this first meeting of Cardinals, a decision was made on the date of Francis’s funeral, as well as decision to suspend the canonisation of the Church’s first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis.

“Cardinal Zen would like to know why the first session of the General Congregations has to start so early,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media.

The second General Congregation took place the next morning on Wednesday, with 103 Cardinals in attendance.

This meeting lasted around 90 minutes and the third meeting took place this morning.

It lasted close to three hours and 113 Cardinals were there.

As well as confirming the meditations which will open up the Conclave, Cardinals were also able to take part in a “conversation about the Church and the world”.

Some 34 Cardinals chose to speak – it is not known who spoke, but it is likely they did so with the Conclave in mind.

As per the rules of the Church, the Conclave has to take place some time between 6 May and 11 May.

The next General Congregation will take place tomorrow morning at 9am.

Meanwhile, a Rosary will take place tonight and tomorrow night outside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is where Francis will be buried.

He will be the first pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903, to be buried outside of the Vatican.

GpTXmjTXIAIOAOD Image of Francis' tomb in Saint Mary Major Vatican Vatican

Tonight’s Rosary will be led by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

It could provide a good means for Tagle to position himself at the next pope in the minds of fellow Cardinals.

Tagle is Asia’s frontrunner for the papacy, a charismatic moderate who has not been afraid to criticise the Church for its shortcomings, including over sexual abuse of minors.

Fluent in English, he is an eloquent speaker with self-deprecating humour and, like Francis, is a leading advocate for the poor, migrants and marginalised people.

tagle Luis Antonio Tagle Alamy Alamy

He had already been considered a candidate for pope in the 2013 conclave in which Francis was elected following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Tomorrow’s Rosary meanwhile will be presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Pizzaballa is the top Catholic in the Middle East, with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.

The Italian was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas.

In October 2023, Pizzaballa offered himself in exchange for those held hostage by Hamas.

“If this can lead to freedom and bring those children back home, no problem. On my part, absolute willingness,” said Pizzaballa at the time.

cardinal-pierbattista-pizzaballa-arrives-for-a-college-of-cardinals-meeting-at-the-vatican-thursday-april-24-2025-ap-photoandrew-medichini Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa arrives for a college of cardinals' meeting at the Vatican today Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

He has also appealed for peace from both sides, and at Christmas in 2024 led Mass both in Gaza and in Jerusalem.

There hasn’t been an Italian pope since the September Pope, John Paul I, who died on 28 September, 1978, a mere 33 days into his papacy.

The Italian Church would be keen for another Italian pope after a drought, while there would be great symbolism to having a new pope with such intimate knowledge of the Middle East.

However, for the first time in history, fewer than half of Cardinal electors will be from Europe and perhaps they will be keen to have a new leader from outside of Europe.

Elsewhere, other contenders deemed to be “papabile” include Pietro Parolin and Peter Turkson.

Parolin had been the number two at the Vatican during nearly all of Francis’s papacy, acting as Vatican Secretary of State.

parolin Pietro Parolin PA PA

He is known to many world leaders, having travelled the globe, but also to many inside the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See.

A member of Francis’s Council of Cardinals, an advisory body, Parolin played a key role in the historic 2018 deal between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops.

This deal gave Chinese officials some input into who Francis appointed as bishops in the country, and in return the underground Catholic Church in China was given more freedom.

Turkson meanwhile is one of the Church’s most influential Cardinals from Africa, although he said in 2010 that he didn’t want to become the first black pope, insisting any such pope would “have a rough time”.

turkson Peter Turkson Alamy Alamy

Born into a humble family of 10 children, Turkson speaks six languages and has visited the World Economic Forum in Davos multiple times to convince business leaders of the perils of trickle-down economics.

The Church in Africa booming and the number of Catholics globally is set to increase, rather than decrease, with the continent more than making up for losses in Europe and the western world.

Perhaps Cardinals will be keen to reward a region where the faith is flourishing and in good health.

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    Mute Housing Hunger Games
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    Apr 24th 2025, 8:22 PM

    With the rise of far right ethnic nationalism in Europe once again I’d say the next pope will be an advocator for immigrants and the marginalised. #Turkson

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    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
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    Apr 25th 2025, 1:20 AM

    Oh is the pope dead?
    There wasn’t much coverage on the news was there? ….

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    Mute Oh Mammy
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    Apr 24th 2025, 10:12 PM

    Pierbattista Pizzaballa. You heard it here first.

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:41 PM

    In the conclave the cardinals don’t vote with proportional representation. If too much black smoke issues from the chimney the holy spirit, like the ceann comhairle in the Dail, has a casting vote.

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    Mute Áine G
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    Apr 24th 2025, 8:13 PM

    @Garreth Byrne: Your a laugh a minute. Trump is going. Enough for anyone. Kamala wasn’t invited.

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    Mute John arse
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    Apr 24th 2025, 9:14 PM

    @Garreth Byrne: They’ve not gone smokeless yet then???

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    Mute offside again
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:34 PM

    It’s all so weird. We need to go back tô our pagen roots. Human sacrifice. Mad thoughts flow through the human mind. We need thinkers and philosophers, we don’t need religious sheep
    I believe an intelligence is behind all this. We’d need a bottle of whiskey to get to … wherever …
    Sm

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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:40 PM

    @offside again: raise your glasses

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    Mute offside again
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:44 PM

    @offside again: I talk some shite don’t I !!!
    Basically a bit of alchohol and hashish can make for some funny conversations that no-one else understands.
    Don’t do drugs lads, alchohol included.
    Life is a joy sober

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    Mute offside again
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:47 PM

    @Jb Walshe: raise them where :-)

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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    Apr 24th 2025, 7:48 PM

    @offside again: raise them upwards of course

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Apr 25th 2025, 4:12 PM

    Cardinal Farrell who failed to notice the sexual abuse by his housemate, which was common knowledge in clerical circles, who claimed to be unaware of the rumors and public allegations made against his boss, while they both lived in the same house. See no evil, hear no evil, eh? No wonder he got promoted.

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    Mute Wendy Arbour aka Luas Vuitton - Dub Drag Queen
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:55 AM

    Saying rosaries and offering masses to get elected. Straight out of the Lowry constituent playbook. Bomb the place.

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    Mute Pat Campbell
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    Apr 27th 2025, 7:28 PM

    Comments open on Catholic Church issues. Comments closed on Islamic Cultural Centre issues????

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    Mute Antony Stack
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    Apr 28th 2025, 4:50 AM

    @Pat Campbell:

    An unspoken threat from our volatile ‘new-Irish’ keeps journalists quiet. On the other hand
    the Catholic church is a free-fire zone.
    Newpapers and media were the ‘cover-up’ of institutional abuse. The chose not to to see and not to ask.
    They certainly don’t investigate and blame themselves

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