Now is the time to fast and pray for the future pope!
According to Catholic News Agency,
“The conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.”
Did you know that at least 15 countries will have a cardinal elector for the first time in the upcoming 2025 conclave?
Here are those countries and the cardinals who will represent them:
Myanmar: Represented by Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B., who was created cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015. He is the first and only cardinal from Myanmar.
Haiti: Represented by Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, created cardinal in 2014.
Cape Verde: Represented by Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado, who was created cardinal in 2015.
Central African Republic: Represented by Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, C.S.Sp., Archbishop of Bangui, created cardinal in 2016.
Papua New Guinea: Represented by Cardinal John Ribat, M.S.C., Archbishop of Port Moresby, created cardinal in 2016.
Malaysia: Represented by Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang, who was created cardinal in 2023.
Sweden: Represented by Cardinal Anders Arborelius, O.C.D., Bishop of Stockholm, created cardinal in 2017.
Luxembourg: Represented by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., Archbishop of Luxembourg, created cardinal in 2019.
East Timor: Represented by Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, S.D.B., Archbishop of Dili, created cardinal in 2022.
Singapore: Represented by Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, Archbishop of Singapore, created cardinal in 2022.
Paraguay: Represented by Cardinal Adalberto Martínez Flores, Archbishop of Asunción, created cardinal in 2022.
South Sudan: Represented by Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, Archbishop of Juba, created cardinal in 2023.
Serbia: Represented by Cardinal Ladislav Német, S.V.D., Archbishop of Belgrade, created cardinal in 2024.
Mongolia: Represented by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C., Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, created cardinal in 2022.
Rwanda: Represented by Cardinal Kambanda, the Archbishop of Kigali, created cardinal in 2020.
The 2025 conclave will be the most international in history, with representatives from 71 countries, including these 15 that will participate for the first time. This reflects Pope Francis' effort to make the College of Cardinals more universal and representative of the global Church.