Francis Critics, Conservatives Among the Top Candidates to Be Next Pope

In the wake of Pope Francis’ passing on Easter Monday, the Catholic Church will begin the process of selecting the next Bishop of Rome, thereby setting the future course of the Church and its 1.3 billion followers.

Within 15 to 20 days of the death of the Pope, a conclave of the College of Cardinals will be convened within the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where they will hold a secret ballot vote to elect the next Pontifex Maximus of the Church.

During his 12 years at the helm of the Church, Pope Francis placed a heavy focus on social justice issues, such as tolerance towards the so-called LGBTQ community, climate change, and mass migration, in what some regarded as a split from Church doctrine.

Francis also had a significant impact on the makeup of the College of Cardinals, having selected approximately 80 per cent of the cardinals who will be eligible to vote for the next Pope.

Rather than selecting from large archdioceses such as those in cities like Los Angeles and Milan, Pope Francis focused on selecting cardinals from the periphery of the church, particularly in Africa and Asia, with a focus on those with a “pastoral” background. (Read more from “Francis Critics, Conservatives Among the Top Candidates to Be Next Pope” HERE)