Pope Francis' death: See 2 African cardinals who may become the next pope

• Pope Francis, calved Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed distant connected Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, astatine his residence successful the Casa Santa Marta wrong Vatican City, sending shockwaves crossed the globe
• Just a time earlier his death, the Pontiff made a nationalist quality during Easter Sunday celebrations astatine St. Peter’s Square aft surviving treble pneumonia
• Two African Cardinals, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Fridolin Ambongo Besungo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—have emerged arsenic apical contenders to win the precocious pontiff

Legit.ng writer Esther Odili has implicit 2 years of acquisition covering governmental parties and movements.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, amended known arsenic Pope Francis' decease has sent shockwaves crossed the globe connected Monday, April 21, 2025.

The satellite mourns arsenic Pope Francis dies astatine 88. Photo credit: Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

The Vatican confirmed that the pontiff passed distant connected Easter Monday astatine his residence successful the Casa Santa Marta wrong Vatican City.

This happened a time aft Pope Francis appeared successful St Peter's Square connected Easter Sunday, April 20, aft surviving a superior bout of treble pneumonia, greeting thousands of worshippers contempt wellness concerns aft caller hospitalisation for pneumonia.

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However, radical person discussed the anticipation of an African pope ever since the internationalizing of the Roman curia pursuing Vatican II, arsenic Africa and Latin America came to correspond the increasing borderline of Catholicism.

Two Cardinals person emerged arsenic the pontiff's imaginable successor

Cardinals Turkson and Ambongo whitethorn go the adjacent pope pursuing Pope Francis' death. Photo credit: U Catholic, Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

All eyes are pointed towards Africa arsenic Cardinals Turkson and Ambongo emerged arsenic papal contenders;

1. Cardinal Peter Turkson (Age 76, Cardinal since 2003)

According to US Catholic, the lone Ghanaian cardinal, Cardinal Turkson, presented a peculiarly compelling lawsuit successful the years since being elevated by John Paul II.

He is simply a biblical scholar, multilingual, drafter of Francis’ Laudato Si’ (On Care for our Common Home) encyclical connected attraction for creation, soft-spoken but charming, and shared a birthday with Vatican II.

This striking illustration has, however, suffered by a wide pigeonholing arsenic a “progressive,” perchance explaining his not gaining traction arsenic a campaigner erstwhile the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel successful 2005 and 2013.

Furthermore, successful 2021, the Pope moved him from his station arsenic caput of the Vatican’s quality improvement (think bid and justice) bureau to a little salient role, raising the question of whether helium would acceptable the administrative facet of governing the full church.

2. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungo, O.F.M. Cap. (Age 65, Cardinal since 2019)

Cardinal Ambongo Besungo, hailed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is 65 years old.

If there’s a existent sleeper campaigner connected this list, it's Cardinal Ambongo Besungo, who has been a Cardinal since 2019 and is strangely awesome for the person of the largest diocese of Earth (Kinshasa has 7 cardinal Catholics, per a probably-outdated statistic).

Cardinal Ambongo Besungo is besides known for his humble demeanor, pastoral focus, and bid advocacy, who reportedly maintained a debased illustration successful the Northern and Western Hemispheres.

This information possibly drives location however the cosmopolitan religion is not bound by a Western/Eurocentric individuality (at slightest not since Vatican II). Perhaps this could beryllium an echo of the recently elected Francis’ remark that his member cardinals fetched him from “the ends of the Earth.”

However, different Francis echo lies successful the cardinal’s individuality arsenic a spiritual clergyman alternatively a diocesan one. Perhaps it would beryllium a logical progression to person a Jesuit pope named Francis followed by a literal (Capuchin) Franciscan. On the different hand, Ambongo Besungo is inactive rather young by Vatican standards. And a pope elected astatine property 76 has present wildly outlasted those aboriginal expectations for his tenure.

Read much astir Pope Francis here:

• 900-year-old prophecy resurfaces pursuing Pope Francis’ death, its connection released
• Nigerians respond arsenic Catholic person Pope Francis dies astatine 88

Pope Francis' death: 266 popes who person led the Catholic Church

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the papacy has been a cardinal instauration for astir 2 millennia, shaping Catholic doctrine, guiding the faithful, and addressing planetary challenges.

Throughout history, popes person played some spiritual and governmental roles, starring reforms, influencing planetary relations, and facing rival claimants (antipopes).

The list of popes, from St. Peter to today, reflects the endurance and improvement of the Catholic Church, maintaining an unbroken concatenation of leadership. See much of the list here.

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Source: Legit.ng