(News Nation) – The late Pope Francis is preparing to choose his successors ahead of Saturday’s funeral by 135 Cardinals, including 10 from the United States.
The Cardinals, representing more than half of the Cardinals University, will be attending Francis’ funeral on Saturday at St. Mary’s Major Cathedral. After honouring the late Pope, they quarantine themselves inside the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave. This is the process by which the next Pope is chosen.
Francis died Monday of heart failure after a stroke. He was 88 years old.
Francis, the first South American pope, is the director of diversity within Cardinal of University. According to NPR, he appointed 108 out of 135 cardinal elections over 12 years at the Vatican.
Librarian Greg Gusman, who hosts the podcast “Popular History,” told NPR that the rally will be “the lowest European conclave in history.”
According to the Vatican’s own tally, 53 of the cardinal electors, or about 40%, are Europeans. A century ago, for the Conclave in 1922, Europeans made up 100% of those who chose the Cardinal Ambroguiolatti, who became Pope Pius XIII.
This time, 23 electors are from Asia, 18 from Africa, and 17 from South America, the indigenous people of France.
Sixteen are from North America, and 10 Cardinals are from the United States.
The US Cardiacs participating in the Conclave are:
Raymond Leo Burke
Burke, 76, of Richland Center, Wisconsin, became a priest in 1975. Widely respected for his Canon law expertise, Burke was appointed to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. A solid conservative, Burke is reportedly the preferred candidate for President Donald Trump to replace Pope Francis.
Blaze Joseph Capic
Cucci, 76, of Omaha, Nebraska, was appointed in 1975 for the Archdiocese of Omaha. Pope Francis appointed Cupic, Archbishop of Chicago in 2014, and two years later he named him Cardinal.
Daniel Nicholas Dinald
Dinald, 75, of Steubenville, Ohio, became a priest in 1977. He was nominated to Cardinals University in 2007 and helped elect Pope Francis in 2013.
Timothy Michael Dolan
Dolan, 75, of St. Louis, was appointed in 1976. After rising to the rank of Archbishop of Milwaukee, he was appointed Archbishop of New York in 2009. He has been a member of Cardinals University since 2012, and he was one of the Cardinal Electors who nominated Pope Francis the following year.
Kevin Joseph Farrell
Farrell, 77, of Dublin, Ireland, became a priest in 1978 and has been employed in idyllic ministry in the United States since 1983. In 2019 Pope Francis appointed Farrell as Camerlengo of the Church, giving him responsibility for the property and income of the Holy See. As Camerlengo, Farrell will serve as the Vatican interim manager until the new Pope is elected.
Wilton Daniel Gregory
Chicago’s 77-year-old Gregory has made history many times since his appointment in 1973. Gregory, a former Archbishop of Atlanta, was the first black president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The leader in response to the American Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, he was promoted to cardinal in 2020, becoming the first African American cardinal.
James Michael Harvey
Harvey, 75, of Milwaukee, became a priest in 1975. Trained as a diplomat, he later served as chief of the Pope family under both Pope Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. In 2012 he was appointed the armish of St. Paul’s Pope Cathedral outside the wall.
Robert Walter McElroy
McKelloy, 71, of San Francisco, was appointed priest in 1980. As a longtime parish priest, he was promoted to bishop and was appointed Bishop of San Diego in 2015. Pope Francis appointed McKelloy as Cardinal of in 2022. Francis appointed McKelloy as Washington’s eighth Archbishop in January.
Robert Francis Prevast
Prevost, 69, of Chicago, became a priest in 1982. He spent the early days of his priesthood in Peru doing mission work, and was eventually appointed bishop of Chiclayo’s parish. Currently, Archbishop Chiclayo’s Emeritus Bishop became a cardinal in 2023.
Joseph William Tobin
Tobin, 72, of Detroit, was appointed in 1978. After serving in the parishes of Detroit and Chicago, Tobin was appointed Archbishop of Indianapolis in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. He has served as Archbishop of Newark since 2016.
Although Farrell was born in Ireland, he spent most of his priesthood in America. According to the Associated Press, Farrell is currently serving as Camerlengo or Chamberlain of the Vatican.
Camerlengo operates the administrative and financial aspects of sacred views until the new Pope is elected, the AP reported.
Farrell also announced Francis’ death on Monday.
Vatican rules limit conclaves to cardinals under the age of 80, but older cardinals can participate in pre-competition meetings.
The AP reported that the baptized Roman Catholic man is eligible to be named Pope, but since 1378 the Cardinals have been consistently selected to lead the church.
No pope was chosen from North or Central America.
After his funeral, Francis is buried in Major St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Since 1903, the Pope has not been buried outside the Vatican, the news site reported.
Francis will be the first Pope to be buried in St. Mary’s Major Cathedral since 1669.
