Betting sites have already opened odds on who will be the next pope, with Cardinal Luis Antonion Tagle as the clear early favorite.
Tagle, who hails from the Philippines, is generally seen as a progressive, after expressing his support LGBTQ rights and claiming that universal moral principles may “not apply in all situations.”
He has, however, been the subject of a certain amount of scandal as a result of alleged “shortcomings” during his time heading the Vatican charity Caritas International.
Current bookmakers’ odds give Tagle a 50% chance of winning the nomination.
Other frontrunners include Pietro Parolin, who currently serves as the Vatican’s Secretary of State and has advocated greater engagement with the Communist regime in China; French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, who is said to have been Pope Francis’s favoured successor and is generally seen as a leftist; and Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, a Dutch cardinal who holds conservative positions against blessings for same-sex couples, transgenderism and the ordination of female clergy.
Pope Francis’s death was announced early on Monday morning by the Vatican.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, in the announcement.
The Pope, who suffered ill health for much of his adult life, spent five weeks in hospital from February into March, as he was treated for double pneumonia.
Latin America’s first pontiff and the first Jesuit to hold the office, the Argentinian Pope Francis was elected in 2013 with a mandate to clean house at the Vatican after a damaging series of scandals.
Pope Francis proved to be a progressive leader, pushing the Catholic Church to the left on a variety of issues, including LGBTQ issues, migration and climate change.
In recent weeks, he spoke out against the new Trump administration’s policies, especially the policy of mass deportations. He urged Catholics “not to give in to narratives that discriminate” against migrants and refugees.
As well as addressing the faithful on Sunday, Pope Francis met Vice President JD Vance, who is himself a Catholic.
The College of Cardinals will now elect a new pope, probably within the next three to four weeks.
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