As the conclave to elect a new pope opens Wednesday, the diverse geographical makeup of the 135 eligible cardinals offers insight into their priorities and perspectives in choosing the next leader of the Catholic Church.
The election of a new pope is a deeply spiritual and global event, yet the geographic backgrounds of the cardinals who cast their votes can shed light on their varying priorities. While there is no rule that cardinals vote based on nationality or region, their diverse experiences and positions in the Church play a key role in shaping the papal election.
Cardinals from different parts of the world bring distinct perspectives. For instance, a cardinal overseeing the Vatican’s liturgy office may prioritize theological and doctrinal matters, while an archbishop from Mongolia may focus on issues pertinent to the Church’s growing presence in Asia.
Currently, there are 135 cardinals under the age of 80 eligible to vote in the conclave, hailing from 71 different countries. This marks the most geographically diverse conclave in history. However, the total number of electors is expected to drop to 133, as two cardinals have officially stated they cannot attend due to health reasons.
A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope. If the number of electors remains at 133, the winning candidate will need to secure 89 votes.
Regional Breakdown of Eligible Electors:
- Europe: 53 (with one Spanish elector skipping the conclave, expected to be 52)
- Asia (including the Middle East): 23
- Africa: 18 (with one Kenyan elector skipping the conclave, expected to be 17)
- South America: 17
- North America: 16 (10 from the U.S., 4 from Canada, 2 from Mexico)
- Central America: 4
- Oceania: 4 (1 each from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga)
The diversity within this group ensures that a wide range of concerns and viewpoints will be considered as the cardinals select the next pope, making this conclave a truly global endeavor.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Works have reached an agreement on the construction of a new railway line to c...
Two of China’s biggest electric-vehicle makers may have to return a combined 373 million yuan (about $53 million) in state aid after a government au...
Uzbekistan and the State of Eritrea signed a Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations through their respective UN Missions....
China said it is ready to "continuously" boost strategic coordination with Moscow. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian counterpart Sergey La...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malaysia, calling the talks 'positive and constructive' despite growing te...
Two of China’s biggest electric-vehicle makers may have to return a combined 373 million yuan (about $53 million) in state aid after a government audit said nearly 22,000 cars sold up to 2020 should never have qualified for clean-energy incentives.
China said it is ready to "continuously" boost strategic coordination with Moscow. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday that Beijing is prepared to help safeguard both countries’ security and development interests.
Russia’s health watchdog said on Friday it is monitoring an anthrax outbreak in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region, where two villages were quarantined after infections in cattle and local residents.
Belarus will play an active part in next month’s United Nations conference for landlocked developing countries in Turkmenistan, Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov told his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov during a telephone call on Thursday.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
On July 4, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Khankendi, reaffirming the deep-rooted alliance between the two nations.
The 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was successfully held in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, highlighting the region’s revival and the deepening economic cooperation among member states.
France recorded over 100 drowning deaths in just one month — a 58% rise from last year — as unusually high temperatures drove more people to water, public health officials say.
Migration offset natural decline for the fourth consecutive year, pushing the European Union’s population to an historic high of 450.4 million in 2024, according to Eurostat figures released on Friday.
Germany’s public debt is projected to climb from 62.5% to 74% of GDP by 2030, driven by record defence and infrastructure spending, according to a report by the European rating agency Scope.
The global oil market may be tighter than headline supply-demand figures suggest, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday, citing rising refinery activity and seasonal summer demand as key drivers of short-term market pressure.
China’s exports are expected to have grown 5% in June as manufacturers hurried goods abroad ahead of a 12 August deadline that could see the U.S. restore punitive tariffs, a Reuters survey of economists indicates.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment