Vatican City, May 4, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
On May 7, an expected 133 cardinal electors will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the new Roman pontiff, the successor to Pope Francis, who shied away from giving red hats to the traditional archdioceses but opted to give the honor to far-flung places, many of which had never had a cardinal before.
Of the 133 cardinals with the right to vote in this conclave, 108 were created by Pope Francis and therefore will be participating in the election of a pontiff for the first time.
Compared with the 2013 conclave that chose Pope Francis, none of the major sees typically headed by a cardinal will be represented this time around, including the archdioceses of Sydney, Vienna, Genoa, Paris, Milan, Palermo, Armagh, and Krakow.
Pope Francis’ choice of cardinals from nontraditional countries and sees has dramatically shifted what used to be large and powerful representations within the college, such as the cardinals from Italy.
Now, only 52 Europeans will enter the Sistine Chapel, less than half of the entire electoral body. Of these 52, just 17 are Italians, including curial cardinals — those who work inside the Vatican — and those who live in Rome.
The Italian presence is significantly reduced compared with the 2013 conclave, which had 28 cardinals of Italian origin.
By contrast, the continent of Africa has grown by seven cardinal electors since the last conclave for a total of 18 red hats, and Asia’s representation has increased to 20 from 10 in 2013.
Countries represented by a cardinal elector for the first time include Haiti, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Tonga, Cape Verde, East Timor, Sweden, Iran, Luxembourg, Singapore, South Sudan, Ghana, Rwanda, El Salvador, Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, and Serbia.
Another change to the College of Cardinals made by Pope Francis was the decision to surpass the limit of 120 voting cardinals set by Paul VI and confirmed by John Paul II. This limit was exceeded in June 2017, when Francis designated five new cardinals, bringing the total to 121. The total number of cardinal electors currently stands at 135.
In the apostolic constitution governing a “sede vacante,” Universi Dominici Gregis, it says that a cardinal who has been “created and published before the College of Cardinals thereby has the right to elect the pope” if he has not reached the age of 80.
Under Pope Francis, there was also an increase in cardinal electors representing the Eastern Catholic Churches “sui iuris”: Cardinal Mykola Bycok (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church); Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad (Syro-Malabar Church); Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal (Syro-Malankar Church); Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel (Ethiopian Metropolitan Church “sui iuris”); and Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako (Chaldean Church).
Other geographical areas instead have not seen large changes in the number of voting cardinals.
The United States will have 10 voting cardinals (one less than in the 2005 and 2013 conclaves). Canada will have four and Mexico will have two representatives inside the Sistine Chapel.
From Europe, there will be five cardinal electors from France, four from Spain, four from Portugal and Poland, three from Germany and the United Kingdom, two from Switzerland, and one each from Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Holland, Serbia, and Sweden.
Central America will bring to the Sistine Chapel one cardinal each from Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Haiti. South America will see the presence of seven cardinals from Brazil, four from Argentina (there were two in 2013 and one in 2005), and one each from Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.
The 18 African cardinals include two from the Ivory Coast and one each from Algeria (although Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco is French by birth), Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco (Cardinal Cristóbal Lopez Romero is Spanish by birth), Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, and Tanzania.
There are 20 cardinals who will participate in the conclave from Asia: four from India, three from the Philippines, two from Japan, and one each from China, East Timor, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia (Cardinal Giorgio Marengo is Italian by birth), Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The Middle East will be represented by three cardinals, one each from the Holy Land (Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa is Italian by birth), Iran (Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu is Belgian by birth), and Iraq.
From Oceania, four cardinals will be eligible to vote: one each from Australia (Bycok is Ukrainian by birth), New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga.
Marco Mancini of ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, contributed to this report.
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Yes, there is clearly geographical diversity among the Cardinals. But, what of their theology? Has Francis packed the College with free thinkers like himself, men who denigrate dogma and dismiss tradition? Certainly the Cardinals he has appointed in the US are not men of stature, learning or inspiration while he has bypassed serious committed churchmen like Archbishops Gomez, Cordeleone and Chaput.
At times, our fears and imaginations run wild, making us see crises where there may be none. Looking back, I realize I have spent too much time worrying about the impact of a pope whose views I feared bordered on error. In doing so, I let doubt take hold when I should have trusted in God’s will. I need to remember that His plan unfolds as He chooses, and I should place my faith in His guidance rather than my own concerns.
During the coming Conclave, I have promised myself that when I begin to doubt, to put it aside and spend my time in prayer rather than wasting my time
I Think that should be the right response from all ” concerned Catholics” including me. Let us lift His Mystical body to the Holy Trinity during this crucial days of conclave, leaving all our ” fears and worries” at the feet of our Blessed mother.
Sometimes, our fear of “our fears and imaginations” also runs wild. In this case, I think it is the latter.
At first appearance Hannah’s breakdown seems the spread is fairly distributed, nationally as well as politically. One requires a skeptical mindset to think otherwise. So, I’ll gladly fulfill that role for sake of … blather?
Here’s how it looks to a skeptic. Although the Italians, a block that would likely vote in favor of continuity with the Francis pontificate, is reduced from 28 to 17, it remains a large block. Likely to support that trend, taking the influence of Cdl Hummes and other Amazonia minded would be the Brazilian with a comparatively large block of 7. Our US contingent is 10 next to Italy, the largest most of whom are liberal. Spain and Portugal are 4 and 4. That comprises a likely liberal block of 42 out of 133. At any rate, enough of blather. May the best man for the Church win.
Added to a likely trend are many the periphery cardinals, many young, unfamiliar with their European, US colleagues, who appear vulnerable to following the ranked European and US more liberal cardinals. Now it’s been argued that the Holy Spirit decides who the Pope will be, a premise that has been largely debunked here at CWR. What the Holy Spirit would do many of us believe is to suggest or inspire. The rest is up to the cardinals. Then there’s another less savory spirit floating around too.
At first appearance Hannah’s breakdown seems the spread is fairly distributed, nationally as well as politically. One requires a skeptical mindset to think otherwise. So, I’ll gladly fulfill that role for sake of … blather?
Here’s how it looks to a skeptic. Although the Italians, a block that would likely vote in favor of continuity with the Francis pontificate, is reduced from 28 to 17, it remains a large block. Likely to support that trend, taking the influence of Cdl Hummes and other Amazonia minded would be the Brazilian with a comparatively large block of 7. Our US contingent is 10 next to Italy, the largest most of whom are liberal. Spain and Portugal are 4 and 4. That comprises a likely liberal block of 42 out of 133.
Added to a likely trend are many the periphery cardinals, many young, unfamiliar with their European, US colleagues, who appear vulnerable to following the ranked European and US more liberal cardinals. Now it’s been argued that the Holy Spirit decides who the Pope will be, a premise that has been largely debunked here at CWR. What the Holy Spirit would do many of us believe is to suggest or inspire. The rest is up to the cardinals. Then there’s another less savory spirit floating around too. At any rate, enough of blather. May the best man for the Church win.
Four points:
FIRST, not mentioned is the block of 17 cardinals from Africa (and others), who rejected the trajectory from Amoris Laetitia (Chapter 8) into Fiducia Supplicans.
SECOND, another factor is that the non-voting cardinals of age 80 and above have not been excluded from pre-conclave discussions among all of the cardinals. Substantive anamnesis of the institutional Church has a chance against the synodal procedure of amnesia.
THIRD, in a very likely standoff short of the 89-vote requirement (two-thirds), there are several second and third tier papabile who are actually highly qualified.
Yours truly doubts that the Franics clone in Italy and the other in the Philippines can overcome sober voting under the Sistine Ceiling. The path forward is how to foster greater communio (as an “ecclesial assembly”) among the laity and the ordained clergy (who “differ in kind as well as degree”)…together with the unambiguous and non-delegable accountability—in both faith and morals—assigned to the successors of the Apostles who are “sent” by the incarnate Jesus Christ. Have Pope Francis’ new international cardinals really sucked in to the post-Christian secularism of the West?
FOURTH, Cardinal Fernandez unwittingly blundered by publishing a clear pivot point (Fudicia Supplicans). As did synodal Cardinal Hollerich earlier when he famously elevated ersatz pseudo-science above the inborn and universal moral law: “I think that’s wrong [binary sexual morality]. But I also believe that we are thinking ahead here in [terms of] teaching. As the Pope has expressed in the past, this can lead to a change in doctrine. Because I believe that the sociological-scientific foundation of this teaching is no longer correct.” https://www.newwaysministry.org/2022/02/04/leading-cardinal-in-synod-seeks-change-in-church-teachings-on-homosexuality/
SUMMARY: The evangelical and institutional Church, both, has cause to be hopeful for very white smoke. The Holy Spirit writes straight with crooked lines.
Any argument, however hypothetical that favors a traditional backwardist is good enough for me.
Be mindful too that during the Novendiales the cardinals preparing to vote were subject to 9 days of glowing recounts of the legacy of Pope Francis. Sitting there in the solemn atmosphere of St Peter’s Basilica does have an effect on one’s perception of things.
A good argument, however hypothetical. That it favors a traditional backwardist is good enough for me.
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2025/05/06/the-fig-leaf-vocabulary-of-heresy/
Everyone fails to mention the obvious fact that the Francis cadre intentionally never called a consistatory of cardinals the entire pontificate, utterly unheard of, keeping them ignorant of one another and ripe for manipulation by the Francis cadre come conclave time…..and that time is now.