Pope Francis is no more: Who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church?

Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.

He was 88, and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.

Francis' death comes a day after the pope had made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on March 23 from a 38-day hospital stay for pneumonia.

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On Easter Sunday, Francis had entered St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile shortly after mid-day, greeting cheering crowds. He had also offered a special blessing for the first time since Christmas.

Leaders across the world, including PM Modi were reacting to the pope's death with praise for his efforts to serve the poor and downtrodden and offering condolences to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

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Now that the Pope has died, many are questioning who could be next in line.

Who will be the next Pope?
As of January 22, 2025, the conclave regulations specify that among the 252 cardinals, only 138 electors are eligible to participate. The age restriction mandates that only cardinals below 80 years can cast their votes in the confidential balloting process held at the Sistine Chapel, the Independent reported.

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The voting procedure consists of four daily rounds that continue until a candidate secures a significant two-thirds majority. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, this electoral process generally extends between 15 to 20 days.

Several prominent Cardinals are considered potential successors, including:

• ·Cardinal Pietro Parolin – the Vatican's Secretary of State
• Cardinal Peter Erdö- former president of the Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe
• Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana) – former head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
• Cardinal Luis Tagle – Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and former Archbishop of Manila
• Cardinal Matteo Zuppi - president of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since May 2022
• Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke- cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010
• Additional potential candidates include Cardinals, Gerhard Muller, Angelo Scola, Angelo Bagnasco, Raymond Burke, Robert Sarah and Malcolm Ranjith.

(With TOI inputs)