AutorAlthough the election of the pope will take place in the privacy of the Sistine Chapel, and the cardinals’ decisions are shrouded in secrecy, it is impossible to resist reflection and speculation.
The upcoming 2025 conclave raises great excitement and questions about the future of the Church.
In this post, dated May 3, 2025, added four days before the conclave begins on May 7, I would like to share my three favorites – figures who combine fidelity to Tradition with pastoral courage: Cardinal Robert Sarah, Cardinal Péter Erdő, and Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
I have prepared a brief profile of each of them:
- Cardinal Robert Sarah – the voice of silence and Tradition (79 years old)
Hailing from Guinea, Cardinal Sarah is known for his spiritual depth, uncompromising fidelity to Church teaching, and defense of the sacred in the liturgy. For years he led the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He is the author of prominent books (God or Nothing, The Power of Silence), in which he calls for the Church’s spiritual renewal through prayer, adoration, and a return to God. For many faithful, he is a symbol of Catholic identity in times of turmoil.
2. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa – a man of dialogue and peace (60 years old)
The current Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, an Italian Franciscan, stands out for his experience living at the crossroads of cultures, religions, and conflicts. For years he served as Custodian of the Holy Land and worked to promote dialogue among Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Pizzaballa combines Franciscan simplicity with mature pastoral discernment and the courage to proclaim Christ amid the tensions of the world.
3. Cardinal Péter Erdő – theologian, lawyer, shepherd (72 years old)
A Hungarian, Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary, he combines solid intellectual formation with pastoral experience and openness to contemporary challenges. He is a respected canonist and served as general relator at the Synod of Bishops on the Family. In him, Western and Eastern Europe could find a balanced leader capable of building bridges and defending moral principles.
Who will become the successor of St. Peter – the Holy Spirit will decide, but it is worth observing those who today, through their life, prayer, and service, bear witness to deep faith and love for the Church.
One of the cardinals I personally respect greatly for his stance and views is the American Cardinal Raymond Burke (77 years old), but in this conclave, in my opinion, he has less chance than the three cardinals listed above.
In these three figures, I see not only potential popes but, above all, people who are already signs of hope and defenders of the true Catholic Church and the faith we profess.
All three have pastoral experience, a solid education, and clearly take a stand on dogma and morality.
We need a Pope who will reverse the damage and errors in the teaching of the Church, so that, among other things, those who have strayed may return like lost sheep. These actions will allow a return to the Church’s original teaching, in accordance with the Deposit of Faith (depositum fidei).
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