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Just hours after the death of Pope Francis was announced on Monday, speculation was already mounting about which of his cardinals would be most likely to replace him.

Almost 1.4 billion Catholics around the world were plunged into mourning after the Vatican confirmed the ailing 88-year-old had passed away following weeks of ill health. His death has created a void at the top of the Catholic church, which must now appoint a new religious leader.

A range of senior church officials have been touted as future pontiffs, but bookies suggest that two cardinals in particular have the shortest odds; Pietro Parolin and Luis Antonio Tagle.

Newsweek has reached out by email to the Vatican seeking comment.

The Argentinian pope had been head of the Catholic church for 12 years, in what proved to be particularly turbulent times. He was forced to grapple with sex abuse scandals involving priests around the world, and had to defend himself after allegations he had not done enough to fight against a brutal military dictatorship as head of the Jesuit order in Argentina from 1973 to 1979.

His leadership also proved somewhat divisive; he was widely considered to be a modern and tolerant pontiff, which occasionally angered the more conservative members of his church. For example, he offered a much more welcoming attitude toward gay people than than his predecessors, even going as far as firing an anti-LGBTQ bishop in Texas. However, his liberal views only went so far; he still believed homosexuality was a sin and he sparked a critical backlash when he compared abortion to "hiring a hit man."

Pope Francis'' successor will have to tread the same difficult line to carry all elements of the church forward with him, even as the number of parishioners dwindles in congregations in many parts of the world.

What To Know

The next pope will be selected by a group of senior church officials known as the College of Cardinals. The secretive process, known as the papal conclave, will be held behind locked doors in the Vatican''s Sistine Chapel. The cardinals will have no contact with the outside world while the deliberations are underway, the chapel will be swept for spyware bugs and all cell phones will be removed.

The men will talk and vote, with breaks for mass, prayer, meals, and sleep. The winning candidate must secure a two-thirds majority vote, unless this figure cannot be reached after 30 ballots. In that case, a simple majority vote will be held.

After each ballot, the voting slips are burned, with chemicals added to color the smoke, as a way of letting the outside world know whether each round of voting was successful or not. Black smoke means that a decision has not yet been reached, while white smoke means that a new pope has been chosen.

At that point, the proposed new pontiff is then asked whether he accepts the role and, if so, he will don the traditional garb of a white cassock and skull cap before he is presented to the waiting crowds outside St. Peter''s Basilica.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is an early frontrunner to be next pope, with bookies offering odds of 3-1, while those wishing to bet on Cardinal Pietro Parolin were offered odds of 4-1.

New York cryptocurrency-based prediction platform Polymarket has also been monitoring a variety of potential papal candidates to work out their likelihood of becoming pope. In contrast to the initial bookies'' odds, they put Parolin at 37 percent most likely to be the next pope, with Tagle at 32.8 percent, as of Monday morning.

The next two candidates are trailing some way behind, according to Polymarket, with Cardinal Peter Erdő on 7.2 percent and Cardinal Peter Turkson on 5.9 percent.

Who is Pietro Parolin?

Parolin, a 70-year-old Italian, worked closely with Pope Francis and served as his cardinal secretary of state. Like his mentor, he is seen as a moderate priest, although reports suggest he is not as liberal as Pope Francis, particularly in terms of gay relationships. When Ireland voted to legalise same-sex marriages in 2015, Parolin described the move as a "defeat for humanity."

Parolin was among the senior church officials who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Saturday, with the Vatican later saying they had shared "an exchange of opinions."

The 67-year-old, one of the youngest candidates in the running to be the next pope, is from the Philippines and would be the first pontiff from Southeast Asia.

Again, he is considered to be relatively liberal, and has branded the Catholic Church as too harsh toward divorced couples or those in gay relationships. Nevertheless, he has opposed abortion.

The Vatican took to X (formerly Twitter) to say: "At 9:45 AM on Easter Monday, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, spoke these words at the Casa Santa Marta: ''Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

What Happens Next

Catholics around the world will continue mourning the pope''s death, and there will be a public viewing of his body before he is laid to rest.

Members of the College of Cardinals will be bracing themselves for the gruelling process that will see them selecting the next pontiff. When the conclave begins, huge crowds and the world''s media will gather to watch the plumes of colored smoke as they await the news that a pope has been chosen.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Get in touch with Chloe Mayer by emailing c.mayer@newsweek.com

Get in touch with Chloe Mayer by emailing c.mayer@newsweek.com

Get in touch with Chloe Mayer by emailing c.mayer@newsweek.com

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