Who are the "papables"? Meet the cardinals who are likely to become the next Pope

2025-05-08 12:25:48 / BOTA ALFA PRESS
Who are the "papables"? Meet the cardinals who are likely to become

An old saying about papal elections goes like this: “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal.”

In other words, any candidate seen as a frontrunner before voting begins should be treated with caution, and no cardinal should enter the Sistine Chapel assuming they will get the votes.

However, Vatican analysts have come up with a number of candidates who are thought to have a good chance of becoming the next Pope, known as "papabile" - or, translated from Italian, "capable of being a pope."

Here are some of the favorites – although there is no clear favorite.

They are: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Cardinal Robert Prevost.

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