But here are 15 cardinals who are among the potential favourites to succeed Pope Francis -- so-called “papabili” -- divided by region.
Pietro Parolin (Italy), Francis's number two at the Vatican
Known for his calm and subtle sense of humour, the polyglot also has a fine grasp of the intricacies of the Roman Curia, the Holy See's central government, and was part of a group of cardinal advisers to Francis.
Parolin played a key role in a landmark -- and controversial -- 2018 Vatican agreement with China on naming bishops.
Pizzaballa, 60, is the top Catholic in the Middle East with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.
The Franciscan has appealed for peace from both sides, and at Christmas in 2024 led mass in both Gaza and Jerusalem.
A member of the Roman lay community of Sant'Egidio, Zuppi has for more than three decades acted as a discreet diplomat for the Vatican including serving as Pope Francis's special peace envoy for Ukraine.
He has been president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 2022.
Spanish-born Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, 72, has spent decades of his career in South America and has Paraguayan nationality. He is now based in Morocco, in majority-Muslim North Africa.
But Lopez himself told AFP that the new pope “doesn’t necessarily have to be a Francis mark II, a Francis impersonator”.
Jean-Marc Aveline (France), Archbishop of Marseille
Like his close friend Pope Francis, he has been a voice for welcoming migrants and promoting interreligious dialogue.
Anders Arborelius (Sweden), Bishop of Stockholm
He is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation and a staunch defender of Church doctrine, notably opposed to allowing women to be deacons or blessing same-sex couples.
Mario Grech (Malta), Bishop Emeritus of Gozo
He was secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a body that gathers information from local churches on crucial issues for the Church -- such as the place of women or divorced spouses who remarry -- and passes it onto the pope.
Peter Erdo (Hungary), Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest
But the 72-year-old has faced criticism for his ties with the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose harsh views on migration clashed with those of Francis.
Jose Tolentino de Mendonca (Portugal), prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education
A former archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church, the 59-year-old was made a cardinal by Francis in 2019.
With a doctorate in biblical theology, he has published books and articles on theology as well as poetic works, which have earned him several literary awards.
Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila
Fluent in English and active on social media, the 67-year-old is an eloquent speaker with self-deprecating humour and, like Francis, a leading advocate for the poor, migrants and marginalised people.
Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), Archbishop of Yangon
Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in his conflict-ridden country, and after the military coup of 2021 appealed to opposition protesters to remain non-violent.
He was head of the Federation of Asians Bishops' Conferences (FABC) between 2019 and 2024.
Sri Lanka's conservative Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has long been considered a dark horse for the papacy, but his credentials were boosted in the wake of the island's worst terrorist attack in 2019.
Ranjith’s efforts have placed the 167 Catholic victims of the attacks on the path to sainthood, after the Vatican declared them “Witnesses of the Faith” last month.
Africa
One of the Church's most influential cardinals from Africa, 76-year-old Turkson has for years been mentioned as a possible first black pope.
He also served between 2016 and 2021 as the first head of a top Vatican department, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which deals with human rights and migrants, among other issues.
Robert Sarah (Guinea), former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
As it is, though, he has found himself championed by conservative Catholics in the French-speaking world as a candidate to turn the clock back on progressive reforms.
Experts believe his views make him too conservative to win a two-thirds majority at the conclave -- but even a possible candidacy has boosted his profile.
Robert Francis Prevost (United States), Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo
The 69-year-old spent years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in the South American country.
Made a cardinal by Francis in 2023, he is also the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
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