April 21st 2025 Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 years old.
Pope Francis is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He became the first Pope to be elected from South America. Which represent a whole new group of people and cultures.
Pope Francis led the way for Christians as Pope. He was the standard of Popes. His total selflessness embodied the position of Pope.
Pope Francis had power over $15,000,000,000 in assets through the Church. Unlike other Popes who lived lavishly Pope Francis kept his spending and luxuries minimal, he passed away with only $100 in his bank account.
He also opted to live in a guesthouse in the Vatican rather than the lavish palace Popes in the past lived in, he led the way in showcasing a minimal life, and using his resources to help other instead.
Pope Francis was truly the Pope of the people, he felt closer to people than Popes of the past.
When will the Pope be elected?
First after the Pope has passed away there is a 9 day mourning period. During this mourning period, masses are held for the Pope and leaders of the church take time to mourn the loss of the Pope.
Cardinals will gather for a Conclave and meet for a vote. They will vote continually until there is a 2/3 majority. Once this 2/3 Majority is reached the new Pope has been elected. If 2/3 is not reached they will continue to vote until they reach the majority. The longest vote took nearly 3 years, while the shortest have been a few days. Pope Francis was elected in just 2 days.
When black smoke emits that means they have not elected a new Pope, if white smoke is emitted that means the Cardinals have come to a decision and a new Pope takes over.
Top Candidates
Some of the top Candidates are
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Cardinal Peter Erdo
Cardinal Peter Turkson
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Cardinal Mario Grech
These Candidates are only a few of the 135 Cardinals set to vote for the next Pope. These candidates have several decades of experience in the church and have shown great faith throughout the years.
We can only guess who will be the next Pope but there is no true way to determine who will win.
We eagerly await the next Pope.
What do you think?
Let NorthShine know who you think the next Pope will be!
Photo: https://international.la-croix.com/religion/mario-grech-defender-of-pope-francis-synod
