Most Diverse Conclave in History Set to Choose Next Pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — While there’s no official guideline requiring cardinals from different regions to cast votes for specific candidates based on national identity, considering their geographical distribution may offer insights into their preferences as they convene the conclave Thursday to select a successor for leading the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

A cardinal leading the Vatican’s liturgy department may face entirely distinct issues compared to the archbishop of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Meanwhile, a cardinal overseeing a major European diocese teeming with numerous priests probably focuses on different matters than the papal envoy working amidst conflict-ridden Syria or the archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua, where the local church faces severe governmental pressure.

Currently, there are 135 cardinals below the age of 80 who are eligible to participate in the conclave, representing 71 distinct nations, marking this as the most globally widespread conclave ever. Two individuals have officially informed the Holy See about their inability to attend due to health issues, which reduces the total count of participants entering the Sistine Chapel to 133.

To be elected as pope, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority vote. This means that with 133 cardinals participating in the election, the winning candidate would require 89 votes.

The nations with the highest number of electors include: Italy (17), the United States (10), Brazil (7), France and Spain (5 each), as well as Argentina, Canada, India, Poland, and Portugal (4 each).

Below is a geographical distribution of all 135 titular cardinals based on data from the Vatican and using their official regional classifications.

Europe: 53. An elector has stated that he plans to skip the conclave as he is from Spain, which means the expected number of European participants will likely decrease to 52.

Asia (which includes the Middle East): 23

Africa: 18. An elector mentioned that he will not attend the conclave, and since this person is from Kenya, the anticipated number of African participants is expected to drop to 17.

South America: 17

North America: 16 (of whom 10 are American, 4 are Canadian and 2 are Mexican)

Central America: 4

Oceania: 4 (one each from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga)

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