Pope Francis breathed his last on Monday, April 21, 2025. While the mourning period lasts nine days, many media outlets are already focusing on potential candidates who could soon take the helm of the Catholic Church.

The Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. The pontiff was discharged from the hospital on March 23, 2025, after being hospitalized for 38 days with bilateral pneumonia, his fourth and longest hospitalization since he began his pontificate in 2013.

Mourning is expected to last nine days. The date of the funeral and burial will be set by the cardinals. However, many questions remain about his successor, who will be elected behind closed doors by the cardinal electors (under 80) who will gather in conclave at the Vatican. A white smoke will then mark the election of the new pontiff. According to several media reports, six candidates are likely to take the highest office in the Catholic Church. Among them, a Frenchman is on the list.

Three Italians and a Guinean, serious candidates to take the head of the Catholic Church

Among the favorites to succeed Pope Francis is Pietro Parolin, the current Vatican Secretary of State, renowned for his diplomatic mastery and ability to manage the Church's internal balances. Also in Italy, Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops, appreciated for his pastoral approach and social positions, is also among the potential candidates, as is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and a highly intriguing figure in the Catholic Church, who has been seriously considered as a leading candidate for the top post, the media outlet UnHerd pointed out.

In France, the Archbishop of Marseille, Jean-Marc Aveline, close to Pope Francis and very involved in interreligious dialogue and migration issues, could take the helm of the Catholic Church. But other names, such as Robert Sarah, Archbishop of Conakry (Guinea) and former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, a prominent figure in conservative circles and a fervent defender of the traditional Mass, are also on the list. The man nicknamed the new "Red Pope," Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Philippines and a very popular theologian in Asia, is also a serious candidate to succeed Pope Francis.

In any case, the conclave, one of the most secretive electoral processes in the world, is expected to take place between 15 and 20 days after the pontiff's death. The 138 cardinal electors, under 80 years old at the time of the conclave, come from 71 countries. Italians constitute the largest national bloc with 17 cardinals, compared to 10 in the United States and Brazil. The election will take place in the Sistine Chapel beneath Michelangelo's frescoes of the Last Judgment and biblical scenes, including the Creation panel showing the fingers of God and Adam joining.