Meet Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle, favorites to succeed Pope Francis

Two favorites to succeed Pope Francis are Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle. White smoke was seen above the Sistine Chapel, indicating that cardinals have elected a new pope to lead the church’s 1.4 billion faithful. While the identity of the new pontiff has not been revealed yet, social media users discussed the favorite cardinals to take over the top job at the Vatican. 

Who are Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle?

Born in January 1955 in Italy, Parolin has served as the Vatican Secretary of State since 2013, effectively the second-in-command to Pope Francis, often described as the "deputy pope." The 70-year-old holds degrees in theology and canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a diploma from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Vatican’s diplomatic school.

He has served in Vatican missions in Nigeria, Mexico, and Venezuela, where he defended the Church against Hugo Chávez’s policies. 

Read More: New pope elected as White Smoke billows from Sistine Chapel chimney

Luis Antonio Tagle was born in June 1957 in Manila, Philippines. He is the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization since 2019, overseeing the Church’s missionary work, and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University.

Tagle studied philosophy at Ateneo de Manila University and theology at Loyola School of Theology, with a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of America.

Ordained in 1982, he served as Bishop of Imus (2001–2011) and Archbishop of Manila (2011–2020). Made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, he participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Francis. 

Read More: Holy Father, moral voice: Who is a pope, what are his duties?

If elected, Tagle would be the first Asian pope in the modern era. 

The name of the new pope will be announced by a top cardinal, when he utters the words “Habemus Papam!” — Latin for “We have a pope!” — from the loggia of the basilica. The cardinal will then read the winner's birth name in Latin and reveal the name he has chosen to be called.

The new pope is then expected to make his first public appearance and impart a blessing from the same loggia.