To place it mildly, those that have been heartened by Francis’ management and those that did not approve of the course he was steering the church will probably be ready to see who triggers the white smoke within the coming days.
There are 252 cardinals, however solely these underneath 80 years outdated—so, 137 of them—can vote for pope. Francis most just lately elevated 21 church leaders to the rank of cardinal on Dec. 7, 20 of them eligible to vote for his successor.
A two-thirds majority is required to call the brand new pope, a rule that dates again to 1179.
In the meantime, there isn’t any age restrict to change into pope. Benedict XVI was 78 when he was elected, whereas Francis was 76. (Agatho was, in response to papal lore, 101 when he grew to become pope in 678 and reigned for 3 years, however students nonetheless debate whether or not he was that outdated. In any other case, Pope Gregory XII was the oldest when he was elected on the age of 81 in 1406.)
So, that is undoubtedly a pool of golden bachelors. In accordance with specialists on the topic, these are a number of the most elegible cardinals—or papabile, as they’re referred to as—within the operating to be the following pope:
