Presence of «Dominique Mathieu» Archbishop of Catholics of Tehran-Isfahan in the Cardinals’ Conclave

«Dominique Mathieu» Archbishop of Catholics of Tehran-Isfahan will be present at the Cardinals’ Conclave for the election of the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis, leader of Catholics worldwide, passed away Monday morning after his final Easter homily, in the presence of thousands of Christians. Following the beginning of the Vatican’s special funeral programs for him, consultations for the election of his successor also commenced.

After 9 days of mourning, the Catholic Church will hold the «Cardinals’ Conclave» or «Conclave,» which will begin confidentially in the «Sistine Chapel» in Rome. Participants in this assembly will be responsible for selecting the next Pope. According to law, 138 electors out of 252 cardinals will be present at this conclave, and cardinals must be under 80 years of age to participate in the secret voting for the selection of the new Pope.

According to regulations, the voting and selection of the new Pope typically takes 15 to 20 days, and there is no specific law regarding how long it should take. Additionally, a maximum of four rounds of voting must be held daily until one cardinal can obtain a two-thirds majority of votes.

Until the election of the new Pope, the Catholic Church will be without a leader, but during this time, the College of Cardinals will jointly govern the Church. The probable candidates for the selection of the new Pope are as follows:

«Peter Erdő» Cardinal Erdő and Archbishop of Budapest was elected as President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences in 2005 and 2011. He is 72 years old and a familiar figure among African cardinals.

«Dominique Mathieu» a Belgian priest and Archbishop of Catholics of Tehran-Isfahan has, as a Cardinal, marked a historic moment. While the Catholic population in Iran is very small, for the first time an official representative from Tehran will participate in the Cardinals’ Conclave, which is responsible for electing the next leader of the Catholic Church (the Pope). His nomination as a candidate is a sign of the Vatican’s openness toward small Catholic communities in the Middle East and an emphasis on the importance of interfaith dialogue in today’s global conditions.

«Reinhard Marx» a 71-year-old Cardinal and former head of the German Bishops’ Conference was a supporter of dialogue in the German Church, which began in 2020 in response to the sexual abuse of clergy scandal, and conservatives who saw this process as a threat to Church unity became skeptical of him, as discussions regarding celibacy, homosexuality, and the appointment of women were raised during this period. In 2021, in response to reports of abuses that had occurred previously by the German Church, he announced his willingness to resign from his position as Archbishop of the German Church, but Pope Francis did not accept his resignation.

«Marc Ouellet» an 80-year-old Canadian Cardinal led the influential office of bishops at the Vatican for more than a decade and was the overseer of the administration responsible for selecting probable candidates for the presidency of bishops throughout the world.

«Pietro Parolin» a 70-year-old Italian Cardinal has been Pope Francis’s Foreign Minister since 2014 and, due to his position in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, is considered one of the main contenders for the position of Pope. His name also appears in the file of the Vatican’s unsuccessful real estate investment in London, but he was not accused of any crime. He is also a former Vatican ambassador to Venezuela.

«Robert Prevost» a 69-year-old American Cardinal from Chicago, whose election as Pope from America has long been a taboo. He has extensive experience as a missionary and then as Archbishop in Peru and is now a powerful administrator of the Vatican and responsible for reviewing the status of candidates for the office of bishop throughout the world. In 2014, he was sent by Pope Francis to lead the episcopal see of Sicuani in Peru and remained in this position until 2023, when Pope Francis brought him to Rome for his current position.

«Robert Sarah» a 79-year-old Cardinal from Guinea, retired head of the Vatican’s Office of Worship and a favorite among Church conservatives.

«Christoph Schönborn» an 80-year-old Cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna, the capital of Austria. He was a student of Pope Benedict and has considerable ability to attract Church conservatives. He opposed Pope Francis’s defense of divorce and civil remarriage of Catholics as a measure toward progressive development due to his parents’ divorce in his youth, and also provoked opposition from some Church conservatives. He also had a personal perspective on the issue of divorce.

«Luis Antonio Tagle» a 67-year-old Cardinal from the Philippines of Chinese descent and is known for becoming emotional when speaking about his childhood. Pope Francis brought him to Rome to lead the office of the Vatican’s Propaganda, which was responsible for addressing the needs of the Catholic Church in many parts of Asia and Africa.