As conclave looms, major Catholic nations may be passed over again

USA Today

22-04-2025

As conclave looms, major Catholic nations may be passed over again
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Pope Francis cause of death: Stroke, irreversible heart failure
Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure. It was announced by Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli in a death certificate.
In the nearly 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, most popes have come from Europe, even though there are countries in South and Central America, Asia, and Africa with significant Catholic populations. Mapping the world's Catholic population reveals that some countries — with Catholic communities larger than those in many European nations — have yet to see a pope from their ranks.
There have been 266 popes throughout history, of whom four in five were from Italy. A handful of popes came from North Africa and the Middle East, but they were elected in the early centuries of the Church, during the time of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
'To have leadership that comes from around the world, we get to see depth of understanding of Catholic teachings,' said Neomi De Anda, a professor at the University of Dayton who studies Catholicism among Latin Americans.
'Not to say that it's different around the world, but gives it a little bit of flavor, nuance and specificity that can sometimes help us see more deeply the teachings of the Church.'
Pope Francis, who died on Monday, a day after Easter Sunday, was the first from Latin America, a region where several countries have a Catholic supermajority. His birthplace, Argentina, is nearly two-thirds Catholic, home to over 30 million Catholics.
But a review of Catholic populations by country shows that Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia all have strong Catholic communities: 140 million, 101 million and 38 million, respectively. In other words, Brazil's Catholic population is larger than the combined Catholic populations of Italy, France, and Spain.
Now span your eyes to Africa where the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest Catholic populations on the continent. In Asia, the Philippines stands out, with over 85 million, or nearly 80%, Catholics, making it the third-largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. The United States is the fourth on the list.
We've got today's trends: Sign up for USA TODAY's Everyone's Talking newsletter for all the buzz.
The Philippines, however, might be closer than ever this time. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, a 67-year-old from Manila, is widely considered one of the leading candidates to eventually succeed Pope Francis.
All told, the other top candidates who could be elevated to the zenith of the Catholic Church come from the following countries: four Italians, one Spanish, one French, one Ghanaian and one Maltese.
De Anda said that while there is a 'radical difference' between the primarily European leadership of the Catholic Church and its membership, Pope Francis served as a bridge between the two because of his Argentine roots and Italian heritage. Having Pope Francis — someone who shared cultural background with many Catholics — at the helm was a powerful way to show people they were being cared for, she added.
'The biggest impact is having someone who speaks a language — and not just an oral language or a spoken language but a cultural language — that we find among many Latin Americans,' De Anda said.
In the next few weeks, the election process will unfold in a secret gathering called a conclave, which is convened after a pope dies or resigns. The process is a spectacle, marked by oaths of secrecy, smoke signals and the final moment when the senior cardinal deacon steps onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and declares: "Habemus Papam!" .
We have a Pope! — in English.