Pope Francis died - who will be his successor in the Vatican?
Pope Francis died - who will be his successor in the Vatican?
Waldbronn-Busenbach, Deutschland - Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. His death triggered a wave of grief and respect not only in Italy, but also in Germany. Catholic believers in the Baden-Württemberg region are particularly touched and describe the deceased Pope as obvious, warm and compassionate. The feelings of fascination, admiration and sympathy for Francis are clearly noticeable among spirituals and believers, as bnn.de
Francis leaves a legacy of change within the Catholic Church. His reforms were often controversial and brought him both followers and critics. With his death, the "Sedisvakanz" now begins, in which the Petri chair remains vacant. During this time, the Cardinal College leads the church until a new Pope is elected. The preparations for this are already in progress, and the first steps for the upcoming conclave have been initiated, as from zdf.de
introduction to the conclave
The conclave, whose word origin in Latin means "with key", will take place with great confidentiality. Cardinals entitled to vote, which are under 80 at the time of death, are isolated in the Vatican to exclude external influences and to carry out the election in the spirit of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal state secretary Pietro Parolin is a favorite for the successor and plays an outstanding role in the upcoming conclave, since both the current dean and the Vice Dean are both over 80 years old, so A total of 137 men are theoretically available, although over 100 cardinals are excluded due to their age. Other possible candidates include Pierbattista PizzaBalla, who is known as a bridge builder in the Middle East conflict, as well as Matteo Zuppi, who deals intensively with social issues and the Ukraine conflict. Conservative candidates such as Péter Erdő or Raymond Burke could also play an important role in the choice.
the farewell to Francis
The body of Pope Francis is laid out in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. In view of his death, grief and respect for the late Pontifex can be felt in both the church and in society. In Gaggenau-Bad Rotenfels, truck drivers already expressed their difficulties in searching for parking space, which can be interpreted as another sign of general unrest in the region. In Waldbronn-Busenbach, there was a fire in the roof structure of row houses, which further reinforced the stressful situation in the communities.
The College of Cardinal will now take the next steps to choose a new Pope. The choice is secret in several election tours, and the unsuccessful end of each vote is signaled by a black smoke, while white smoke shows the choice of a new pope. During this transition, the church will continue in the spirit of Francis, even if the challenges and conflicts he appealed during his term of office will remain.
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| Ort | Waldbronn-Busenbach, Deutschland |
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