With the death of Pope Francis aged 88, Vatican-watchers’ attention has turned to the prospect of a new Conclave, in which the College of Cardinals gather to choose a new pontiff from among their ranks, with an affirmative decision famously signalled with white smoke.

These are the six leading contenders to lead the Holy See, known in Italian as the ‘papabili’, and become the new head of the worldwide Catholic Church:

• Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle: A former Archbishop of Mania, the Filipino prelate is a longstanding contender for the papacy. The 67-year-old is considered to be left-leaning and has not been shy to air liberal views, criticising the Church’s view on divorce and same-sex relationships. In this sense, he is likely to continue Pope Francis’ steady attempt to modernise the Church’s outlook and focus on spreading social justice.

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin: The Vatican’s influential top diplomat and a popular moderate, he has recently been installed as the bookmakers favourite. Like his boss, the 70-year-old has espoused a liberal worldview and recently said he was hoping for “an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people”, and also urged Europe to “rediscover itself” in order to be able to face the “major challenges” of the era, in a recent interview.

• Cardinal Wim Eijk: The Dutch former doctor is believed to be the main conservative contender, facing off against the progressive wing of the Church which has been in the ascendancy since the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The 71-year-old has staunchly opposed Pope Francis over his endorsement of civil marriages and also hit out against the Pope over his failure to dismiss a proposal that would allow Protestants to receive the Eucharist in Catholic churches

• Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu: The 65-year-old Archbishop of Kinshasa is best known for rejecting Pope Francis’ declaration allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples. Representing the culturally conservative African wing of the church, his election would be a shock rejection of Pope Francis’ attempt to update the image of Catholicism in recent years.
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• Cardinal Peter Erdo: The 72-year-old Hungarian has previously opposed divorcing or remarried Catholics receiving the Holy Communion. He has been a vocal opponent of European nations accepting refugees and is considered close to authoritarian Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, having also spoken out against mass migration.

• Cardinal Raymond Burke: An arch-conservative American, Burke, 76, has previously challenged Pope Francis’ acceptance to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist. He has also challenged the Church around its recent stances toward contraception, homosexuals and civil marriages. In November 2023, Pope Francis reportedly evicted Burke from his subsidized Vatican apartment and terminated his salary as a retired cardinal.