Who could be the next pope? How U.S. cardinals, including Boston's Cardinal O'Malley, rank

Melina Khan

USA TODAY NETWORK - New England

Published 2:55 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2025

Key Points

• Pope Francis is hospitalized as he recovers from a sinus infection.
• If the pope were to resign over health concerns, a new pope would be selected through a process called the conclave, which consists of a vote by members of the College of Cardinals.
• Two U.S. archbishops are considered papabile, or frontrunners for pope. One of them is Boston's former archbishop Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley.

As Pope Francis continues to recover from a respiratory infection, some have questioned whether he would consider stepping down from his role due to health concerns like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

If the pope were to resign, a new pope would be selected through a process called the conclave, which consists of a vote by members of the College of Cardinals.

 
Technically, any baptized Roman Catholic male can be elected pope, including archbishops from the United States, like Boston's current Archbishop Richard Henning and former Boston Archbishop, Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley. But, traditionally the pope is selected from the College of Cardinals.

Here's a look at how the process works and the individuals who could be favored to be the next pope.

Could a U.S. archbishop be the next pope?

While any baptized Catholic male is technically eligible to be elected pope, traditionally, the pope has been chosen from the College of Cardinals since 1378, according to Religion News Service.

That means a U.S. archbishop could be chosen as pope, but it's not likely unless they are also a cardinal. Henning, who became archbishop of Boston last year, is not a cardinal.

There are currently 17 cardinals from the United States, and 10 of them are eligible to vote in the next conclave — meaning they are under the age of 80. A cardinal can be chosen as pope even if they are above the age of 80.

Italy, which currently has 51 cardinals, is the only country with more than the United States.

Who is 'papabile' or leading candidate to be pope?

Edward Pentin, the National Catholic Register's longtime senior Rome correspondent, released a book in August 2020 called "The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates."

In it, he lists 19 cardinals he considers papabile, or "popeable" frontrunners for the role.

Among them, Pentin notes Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, former archbishop of Boston, as a possible choice for the next pope.

O'Malley retired as the Boston's archbishop over the summer, at the age of 80, but has remained on the Pope's Council of Cardinals. If he's still in the running, his age will likely be a point of discussion. The oldest pope on election was Pope Clement X in 1670 at the age of 79.

The other American on Pentin's list is Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who was previously archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri.

Cardinals voting in the conclave may not necessarily choose a pope from among those seen as papabile. However, both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were considered papabile before being chosen, according to many Vatican experts.

How does the conclave process work?

The papal election, which is called the conclave, occurs when the pope resigns or dies and the College of Cardinals selects a new pope.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, cardinals typically gather 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy to partake in the conclave process.

The cardinal electors, which consists only of cardinals under the age of 80, vote by secret ballot at the Sistine Chapel. Four rounds of voting take place every day until a candidate receives a majority two-thirds of the vote.


Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network - New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated news organizations across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.


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