Few expected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be elected Pope in 2013, indeed just minutes after being declared, the conference of Italian bishops mistakenly put out a press release welcoming the installation of the “frontrunner”, their very own Cardinal Angelo Scola, the then archbishop of Milan.
It may be a fool’s game to predict the next Pope but let’s have a look at some of the “frontrunners” this time round.
Luis Antonio Tagle
Potentially the first Asian Pope. Tagle is from the Philippines and is considered by many to be of a similar mould to Pope Francis on social issues. He has continued to oppose abortion in his home country but has apparently taken a more liberal view on homosexual and divorced couples.
At a mere 67 years of age, he is considered to be one of the younger candidates.
Peter Turkson
Turkson is from Ghana and has devoted much of his ministry to issues of poverty, social justice and climate change. Under Pope Benedict he was head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which works towards promoting human rights and social justice.
He upholds the traditional views of the Church on issues such as marriage, homosexuality and women priests, however he has also stated that laws in some African countries are too punitive towards homosexuals.
Péter Erdő
A Hungarian and a conservative, Erdő represents a return to traditionalism and clarity in Church teaching and practice. While Pope Francis may have won praise from liberals for some of his statements (“Who am I to judge?”) such statements also led some to wonder what the official position of the Church on questions like homosexuality was. Erdő would give a clear answer to such questions, although one that may not be to everyone’s taste.
On a separate issue, Erdő appeared to side with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over Pope Francis when the former rejected the latter’s call to take in more migrants.
Pietro Parolin
Parolin has in many ways served as one of Pope Francis’ right-hand men, and is currently the Vatican’s secretary of state.
Highly regarded in the diplomatic world, Parolin has been involved in Vatican attempts to act as a mediator for peace between Ukraine and Russia. He has nevertheless faced criticism for a Vatican deal with China that was seen as far too favourable to the atheist communist state.
