Pope election 2025: The conclave begins - who will be the next holy father?

Pope election 2025: The conclave begins - who will be the next holy father?

Vatikanstadt, Italien - On May 7, 2025, the conclave begins in Rome to choose a new Pope. Over 130 cardinals have gathered to regulate the successor of Pope Francis. The first ballot is planned for the evening, and initial speculation about the candidates are already underway. According to current reports, the choice of cardinals should not only influence the religious, but also the cultural dimension of the Catholic Church.

Beate Gilles, General Secretary of the Catholic German Bishops' Conference, expresses the desire for a “soothing decentralization” of the church. This indicates that the new Pope could continue the reform processes initiated by Francis. This includes, among other things, the consecration of women and the acceptance of alternative life forms. The different currents within the cardinal college, consisting of both reformers and conservatives, ensure tensions.

The process of the concrete

The conclave is traditionally held in the Sistine chapel, where the elections held are secret. Before voting, the cardinals swear an oath on secrecy to protect the integrity of the election process. You live during the compliance in the Vatican guest house in Santa Marta, which serves to forks the outside world. Some cardinals have to be accommodated in the neighboring guest house Alt-Santa-Marta.

The choice is carried out by secret coordination, in which at least two thirds of the votes - at least 89 votes - are necessary to appoint a new pope. It is considered unlikely that white smoke will rise after the first ballot, which signals the choice of a new Pope. The service for the opening of the conclusion takes place at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica.

favorites and betting odds

The Irish bookmaker Paddy Power identified Cardinal Pietro Parolin as the favorite for the successor of Francis. The British bookmaker William Hill also rates parolin and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on par. Cardinal Peter Turkson is traded as a third -best candidate, but is considered conservative. Overall, the bets on the Pope's succession have sparked great interest, with expectations of over 100 million euros in betting sales.

Despite the given favorites, some cardinals express uncertainty about the next Pope. The Japanese Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi speaks of a closed coordination of Asian cardinals, while the Archbishop of Singapore, Cardinal William Seng Chye Goh, emphasizes the need for a strong pope. In the end, the Cardinal College aims at the world and demands a ceasefire in conflict areas, which underlines the political dimension of the elections.

The entire situation is shaped by the far -reaching complexity of the Catholic Church in today's world and the challenges that the next Pope has to face. The conclave has been described as the most international election, but the Bishop of Rottenburg Klaus Krämer sees the Cardinal College despite its diversity as not representative of the World Church.