(NewsNation) — As the late Pope Francis lies in state ahead of his funeral Saturday, 135 cardinals from around the globe, including 10 from the United States, prepare to select his successor.
The cardinals, who represent just over half of the College of Cardinals, will attend Francis’ funeral at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Saturday. After honoring the late pontiff, they will seclude themselves inside the Sistine Chapel for the conclave, the process by which the next pope is chosen.
Francis died Monday of heart failure following a stroke. He was 88 years old.
Francis, who was the first South American pope, is himself responsible for the diversity within the College of Cardinals. According to NPR, he appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors during his 12 years in the Vatican.
Librarian Gregg Gassman, who hosts the podcast “Popeular History,” told NPR the gathering will be “the least European conclave in history.”
Just 53 of the cardinal electors, or about 40%, are European, per the Vatican’s own tally. A century ago, for the 1922 conclave, Europeans made up 100% of those who chose Cardinal Ambrogio Ratti, who became Pope Pius XI.
This time around, 23 of the electors are from Asia, 18 are from Africa, and 17 are from Francis’ native South America.
Sixteen are from North America, with 10 of those cardinals hailing from the United States.
The U.S. cardinals participating in the conclave are:
Raymond Leo Burke
Burke, 76, of Richland Center, Wisconsin, became a priest in 1975. Widely respected for his expertise in canon law, Burke was appointed to the rank of cardinal in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. A staunch conservative, Burke is reportedly President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate to replace Pope Francis.
Blase Joseph Cupich
Cupich, 76, of Omaha, Nebraska, was ordained in 1975 for the Archdiocese of Omaha. Pope Francis appointed Cupich the archbishop of Chicago in 2014 and named him a cardinal two years later.
Daniel Nicholas DiNardo
DiNardo, 75, of Steubenville, Ohio, became a priest in 1977. He was named in 2007 to the College of Cardinals, where he helped elect Pope Francis in 2013. DiNardo is archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Timothy Michael Dolan
Dolan, 75, of St. Louis, was ordained in 1976. After rising to the rank of archbishop of Milwaukee, he was appointed archbishop of New York in 2009. A member of the College of Cardinals since 2012, he was one of the cardinal electors who named Pope Francis the following year.
Kevin Joseph Farrell
Farrell, 77, of Dublin, Ireland, became a priest in 1978 and has exercised his pastoral ministry in the U.S. since 1983. He served as bishop in Dallas and auxiliary bishop in Washington, D.C., before rising through the ranks to cardinal. Pope Francis in 2019 nominated Farrell as camerlengo of the church, giving him responsibility over the property and revenue of the Holy See. As camerlengo, Farrell is serving as interim manager of the Vatican until a new pope is elected.
Wilton Daniel Gregory
Gregory, 77, of Chicago, has made history multiple times since being ordained in 1973. Gregory, a former archbishop of Atlanta, was the first Black president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. A leader in the response to the sex abuse scandal in the American Catholic Church, he was elevated in 2020 to cardinal, becoming the first cardinal of African American descent.
James Michael Harvey
Harvey, 75, of Milwaukee, became a priest in 1975. Trained as a diplomat, he later served as prefect of the papal household under both Pope Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. In 2012, he was appointed archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls.
Robert Walter McElroy
McElroy, 71, of San Francisco, was ordained a priest in 1980. After years as a parish priest, he was elevated to bishop, being appointed in 2015 as bishop of San Diego. Pope Francis appointed McElroy to the College of Cardinals in 2022. Francis appointed McElroy the eighth archbishop of Washington in January.
Robert Francis Prevost
Prevost, 69, of Chicago, became a priest in 1982. He spent the early years of his priesthood doing mission work in Peru and was eventually named bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo. Now the archbishop-bishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Prevost became a cardinal in 2023.
Joseph William Tobin
Tobin, 72, of Detroit, was ordained in 1978. After serving in parishes in Detroit and Chicago, as well as taking on several leadership roles, Tobin was appointed archbishop of Indianapolis in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. He has served as archbishop of Newark since 2016.
Though Farrell is Irish-born, he has spent the majority of his priesthood in the United States. According to The Associated Press, Farrell currently serves as the Vatican’s camerlengo, or chamberlain.
The camerlengo runs the administrative and financial aspects of the Holy See until a new pope is elected, the AP reported.
Farrell also announced Francis’ death on Monday.
Vatican rules limit the conclave to cardinals under the age of 80, though older cardinals can participate in pre-conclave meetings.
The AP reported that while any baptized Roman Catholic man is eligible to be named pope, cardinals have consistently been chosen to head the church since 1378.
No pope has ever been chosen from North or Central America.
Following his funeral, Francis will be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which the Catholic News Agency reported represents his devotion to Mary.
No pope has been buried outside of the Vatican since 1903, the news site reported.
Francis will be the first pope buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major since 1669.
