Who is worthy of being the next Pope? - Popewars: 2025 Season Pope Draft Begins

[Meiwaku]

The pope is dead, long live the pope.

The new draft season is in and we have some hot contendors coming in. We would like to thank our sponsor, AARP & the pension system, for this post. Now back to the show:

(I am citing a few articles including this article for a good portion of this. All articles are linked in their sections.)

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, Philippines

One of the younger players here. He's very liberal though and would be a leftward push for the Papacy

The magazine noted that Tagle would be the first pope fully fluent in English.

Tagle and Pope Francis share similar criticisms of the Catholic Church's positions on things like treatment of LGBTQ individuals and divorced and remarried Catholics. Tagle currently leads the church's evangelization office.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, 70, Ghana

Turkson would be the first pope from Africa if elected to the papacy. However, his play for progressiveness held him back in past conclaves - both in 2005 and 2013. He is still a popular pick that seemingly would unite a lot of liberal and conservative Catholics.

Apparently there was bad blood too as Pope Francis also removed him from a higher ranking position within the church. If anyone has more info, let me know why.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., 59, Italy

Pizzaballer Pizzaballa. The only man who can turn communion into an italian dinner. Water to marinara. Etc.

Pizzaballa has served in Jerusalem for more than 30 years. He was elevated to Cardinal just before the start of the Israel-Hamas War and among the youngest on the short list. U.S. Catholic Magazine suggests that his age could either hurt him among the voting cardinals, who could decide he is too young to serve as the pope, or they could decide Pizzaballa could be a longer-lasting pope, which could provide stability to the Catholic Church

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., 72, United States of America


For whatever reason the faggots who made this list fucking thing put this guy on probably because he's from New York and loves immigrants. The Catholic magazine notes that it would be a one-up to Trump but for some reason, something tells me the papacy does not give that much of a shit about drumf in the eyes of the Catholic world.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, United States of America


This It's probably one of the most conservative Pope draft picks that we have here so much so that he got removed from his apartment for criticizing Pope Francis. He wants all masses to be in Latin again.


Robert Sarah, 79, Guinea


Dangerously based pick that would put Catholicism back on a traditional track.

Robert Sarah (Guinea): Sarah, 79, is a prelate from Guinea and the former head of the Vatican’s liturgy office who has been considered a possible successor to Francis for years. Sarah is among the more conservative-leaning prospects and has opposed blessing same-sex couples, referring to the blessings as “heresy” and same-sex couples as “irregular,” while he has also reportedly called abortion the “greatest tragedy of our time” and previously warned about the “threat” of Islam. (Link)

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70 , Italy


Current Secretary of State to the Vatican and his reign is much considered to be a extension of Pope Francis. He is said to be a political moderate.

Cardinal Wim Eijk, 71, the Netherlands

Cardinal Wim Eijk, 71, the Netherlands. Willem Jacobus Eijk, a former medical doctor, is widely seen as one of the most conservative of the front-runners.

In 2015, Eijk helped pen “Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family: Essays from a Pastoral Viewpoint,” which staunchly opposed Francis’ endorsement of civil remarriages in the case of not receiving an annulment of the first marriage. Eijk wrote they are “a form of structured and institutionalized adultery.”

Eijk was also a critic of the current pope’s inability to combat a German Bishops’ Conference proposal that allowed Protestants to receive the Eucharist in Catholic churches. In an editorial, Eijk called the pope’s ruling on the matter “completely incomprehensible.”

Eijk was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. (Link)

Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, Hungary


Conservative

Former president of the Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe and a devout Marian, Peter Erdo has long been a figure of consequence in the politics of the contemporary church.

A conservative, Erdo has previously opposed the practice of divorced or remarried Catholics receiving Holy Communion due to the doctrinal belief in the insolubility of marriage. Erdo has also been vocal about his opposition to European countries accepting refugees, stating that it is tantamount to human trafficking.

Erdo was made a cardinal in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. (Same link as above)

Cardinal Mario Grech, 67, Malta



Moderate leaning pick

The current secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Mario Grech is considered a potential moderate successor of Pope Francis.

He has previously spoken of the necessity to reach out to those who are ostracized from the Church due to their sexuality or marital status. In a 2014 speech given at the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Grech highlighted the Church’s need to maintain continuity of teaching while allowing for creativity in the methodology of speaking to the people.

Grech was made a cardinal in 2020 by Pope Francis.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Very conservative man who made all gay marraiges blessd by the Catholic church NULL & VOID on the African continent

President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu made headlines when he rejected a controversial declaration of Pope Francis — with the papal blessing, no less.

The conservative Capuchin declared the doctrine of Fiducia supplicans — which allowed priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples —- null and void on the African continent. Besungu was able to achieve explicit blessing from Pope Francis in an emergency meeting in 2023 shortly after the release of that teaching, the Catholic Herald reported.

A Besungu papacy would be seen as a sharp rebuke of the left-leaning principles of Pope Francis. The current pontiff made Besungu a cardinal in 2019.

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Okay fight it out, Catholics. Who do you think is the best pick? Who do you think will actually get picked? Who won't get picked? What hot points do you care about?

 

[Rome's rightful successor]

A drugged up brainwashed Jude Law playing his character from the HBO show.

 

[Meiwaku]

A drugged up brainwashed Jude Law playing his character from the HBO show.
View attachment 7258061

I have to say this is even funnier coming from somebody with your username.

 

[Sexy Senior Citizen]

 

[User names must be unique]

Whoever has the silliest hat.

 

[TEA 3HF]

Pope dies mere days after the death of Halfchan. There can be no coincidence.

 

[Ged!]

Halfchan

Man, I remember 2015 too

 

[TruffleSpark]

Nick Rekeita was the Law Pope. So he already has previous job experience of popery. More than any of these losers do, so I think Rekeita is the most qualified candidate.

 

[Xev]

The Pizzaballa guy deserves it for that name

 

[Preacher ✝]

The Pizzaballa guy deserves it for that name

He would take a Papal Name if elected so he wouldn't be "Pope Pizzaballa"

 

[Meiwaku]

He would take a Papal Name if elected so he wouldn't be "Pope Pizzaballa"

I'm pretty sure Pizzaballa is a traditional Latin pope name.

 

[WULULULULU]

I'm picking any of the black cardinals. If there is any semblance of the Vatican being back on track from being swayed to the wrong path, its any of them.

Picking Tagle is the death knell to both the Vatican and Catholicism for good. I pray for Total Pinoy Death.

 

[TEA 3HF]

Man, I remember 2015 too

Yea yea, I know. In iNTERNET years I am a boomer.

 

[Meiwaku]

I'm picking any of the black cardinals. If there is any semblance of the Vatican being back on track from being swayed to the wrong path, its any of them.

Picking Tagle is the death knell to both the Vatican and Catholicism for good. I pray for Total Pinoy Death.

There are some good conservative white picks, but Africans are super conservative. The one thing holding them back from beating gays and shit to death is the whole "thou shall not kill" thing.

 

[LazyLizard]

me, i will declare a holy war on all the other religions

 

[WULULULULU]

There are some good conservative white picks, but Africans are super conservative. The one thing holding them back from beating gays and shit to death is the whole "thou shall not kill" thing.

Good enough for me.

 

[Foxxo]

I bet they nominate someone outside the Church this time (since they can do that), like Tony Blair or Joe Biden.

 

[Althalus]

IIRC Francis was relatively unknown prior to being elected as Pope. What are the odds it's someone else not on this list?

Also IIRC Francis put a lot of cardinals in that were in agreement with his views, what are the odds the next pope is another Jesuit?

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

Very strange system you have there.

I voted for 79-year-old Robert Sarah because that seems like one of the funniest outcomes. Francis was 76 when he was elected, lasting 12 years, 1 month, and 18 days.

 

[Adolf Hulkler]

Its just gonna be another cuck faggot in the office.

If i had the power to choose, id put one of those black israelite nutcases in the popes shoes.