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10 Cardinals Who Might Succeed Pope Francis

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Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, the Catholic Church has entered a period known as sede vacante, which is Latin for “the seat being vacant”.

This triggers the centuries-old process of selecting a new pope.

With no clear frontrunner, attention has turned to a number of high-ranking cardinals considered potential successors to the 266th pontiff, who led the Church from 2013 until his death at age 88.

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The selection of a new pope will be decided during a conclave, a secretive gathering of eligible cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

The process is guided by long-established traditions and rituals, though the outcome is far from predictable.

According to reports by The Telegraph and CNBC, several cardinals have emerged as possible papabili, a term used to describe those considered likely to be elected pope.

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The list includes figures from various regions and theological leanings, some closely aligned with Pope Francis’ progressive vision and others representing a more conservative approach.

Here are 10 cardinals being widely mentioned in Western media as likely contenders:

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines)

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Tagle holds the title of Cardinal-Bishop of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle (pro hac vice). He also serves as President of the Catholic Biblical Federation, Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, and is actively involved in several Roman Curia departments.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Italy)

The Holy See’s secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Parolin has been the Vatican’s Secretary of State since 2013 and joined the Council of Cardinals in 2014, the same year he was elevated to cardinal.

Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary)

The Hungarian cardinal, Peter Erdo.

Erdő has been Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and Primate of Hungary since 2003

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (USA)

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke

Burke is a prominent conservative figure in the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of St. Louis and Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest court, from 2008 to 2014.

He was also Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta between 2014 and 2023.

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Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (Italy)

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, Italy, in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 5, 2019. Photo: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Zuppi has been the Archbishop of Bologna since 2015 and previously served as an auxiliary bishop in Rome.

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk (Netherlands)

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk

Eijk, a former medical doctor and moral theologian, has been Archbishop of Utrecht since 2007 and became a cardinal in 2012.

Cardinal Mario Grech (Malta)

Cardinal Mario Grech

Then-Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo, Malta, applauds at the start of the first session of the synod for the Amazon at the Vatican Oct. 7, 2019. Pope Francis appointed him as secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops in 2020. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring
Grech has served as Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops since 2020, playing a pivotal role in the global synodal process.

Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana)

Cardinal Peter Turkson

Turkson currently heads the Pontifical Academies of Sciences. He previously led the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and was the first prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development

Cardinal Angelo Scola (Italy)

Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola.

Scola is a seasoned theologian and philosopher who served as Archbishop of Milan from 2011 to 2017 and Patriarch of Venice before that.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since November 6, 2020.

As 1.3 billion Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope Francis, they now await news of who will take up the mantle of spiritual leadership

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Afghanistan’s Taliban Release US Citizen

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Afghanistan’s Taliban government released an American citizen from detention on Sunday, a week after freeing an elderly British couple.

In a statement, the ministry identified the detainee as Amir Amiri and said he had been handed over to Adam Boehler, Washington’s special envoy on hostages.

Boehler made a rare visit to Kabul earlier this month to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the Taliban government.

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan released an American citizen named Amir Amiri from prison today,” the Foreign Ministry on X, using the official name for the government.

“The Afghan government does not view the issues of citizens from a political angle and makes it clear that ways can be found to resolve issues through diplomacy.”

READ ALSO:Taliban Detains 14 For Playing Music, Singing At Afghanistan Private Gathering

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Little is known about Amiri’s case, as it has not been widely reported.

An official with knowledge of the release said Amiri, who is 36, “had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024”.

The official added that Amiri would stop briefly in Doha, Qatar for medical checks before continuing back to the United States.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the release of Amiri, said he had been “wrongfully detained” in Afghanistan, and thanked Qatar for helping to get him freed.

President Donald Trump “has made it clear we will not stop until every American unjustly detained abroad is back home,” Rubio wrote on X.

In January two Americans were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States.

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READ ALSO:Taliban Court Publicly Flogs Woman For Illicit Relationship, Running Away From Home

Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, was freed after more than two years in detention during a March visit to Kabul by Boehler.

At least one other US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is being held in Afghanistan. The United States is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

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The Taliban authorities deny any involvement in his 2022 disappearance.

Just a week ago, Britons Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were released from a Kabul prison after almost eight months in detention. The Taliban authorities did not say why they were detained.

The couple was arrested in February and first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.

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READ ALSO:1.4 Million Girls Banned From Afghan Schools Since Taliban Return – UNESCO

The couple married in Kabul in 1970 and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan, running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.

All the releases have been mediated by Qatar.

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Both the US and the UK, like many other Western nations, warn against all travel to Afghanistan.

Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the group returned to power in August 2021, when most embassies withdrew their diplomatic presence.

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The Taliban government says it wants to have good relations with other countries, notably the United States, despite the 20-year war against US-led forces.

 

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One Dead, Several Injured After US Shooting, Fire At Mormon Church

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One person was killed and several others injured Sunday after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in the US state of Michigan, where the building was also set on fire, authorities said.

The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town, was shot dead by law enforcement after the attack, police said, without specifying any possible motive.

President Donald Trump called the shooting “horrendous” and said on his Truth Social platform it “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”

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Images from the scene showed emergency services escorting people on stretchers and a large plume of dark smoke at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

READ ALSO:Head Of Mormon Church Is Dead

Local police chief William Renye told reporters the suspect drove his vehicle through the front doors of the church and then began firing at people inside with an assault rifle.

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He said the service was active with “hundreds of people within the church.”

Authorities believe the gunman also deliberately set fire to the church before he was killed by responding police officers, Renye said.

Ten gunshot victims were transported to hospital, including one who has died, the official said.

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READ ALSO:US Lifts Restrictions On Visa Validity For Ghanaians, Leaves Nigeria’s Unchanged

He added that the fire had been extinguished but that “we do believe that we will find additional victims once we have that scene secure.”

A woman who lives near the church told AFP: “My husband heard people screaming, one lady yelling for help.”

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FBI agents are on the scene to assist the investigation, chief Kash Patel said on X.

Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy,” he wrote.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also said she had been briefed on the incident.

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Head Of Mormon Church Is Dead

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Russell Nelson, who headed the Mormon church since 2018, died on Saturday night at age 101, the church announced.

“With sorrow we announce that Russell M. Nelson, beloved President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away peacefully… at his home in Salt Lake City,” it said in a statement, using the church’s official name.

The former heart surgeon was “the oldest president in the history of the Church,” the statement added, without specifying a cause of death.

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Utah Republican senator Mike Lee lauded Nelson as a “bold, visionary leader prepared by God to testify of Jesus Christ in the very times in which we now live.”

READ ALSO:Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Is Dead

Nelson became the 17th president of the Church in January 2018 at age 93, succeeding Thomas Monson.

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Before becoming president, Nelson successfully pushed for the church to label same-sex married couples as “apostates” and bar their children under the age of 18 from religious rites, including baptisms — though that policy was scrapped after he took on the role.

He also broke with his predecessors and cautioned against using shorthands “LDS” or “Mormons” to refer to the church.

Nelson’s successor will be chosen after his funeral by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who like the church’s president are considered prophets by believers.

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READ ALSO:Brazilian Jazz Legend, Hermeto Pascoal, Is Dead

The religious leader is survived by his wife, eight of his children, 57 grandchildren and more than 167 great-grandchildren, according to the church.

Founded in 1830, the Mormon church considers itself a Christian body, but bases its doctrines on the Book of Mormon, a text purporting to contain a fuller version of the words of Jesus Christ than that recorded in the Bible.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims a total membership of more than 17.5 million people.

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