The upcoming conclave to elect the 267th pope will be marked by an unprecedented level of international representation among the Cardinal electors, a clear fruit of Pope Francis’ efforts to shift the Church’s focus toward the “peripheries.”
The conclave, opening May 7, 2025, will be “less Euro-centric than it has ever been before,” according to Vatican journalists Lisa Zengarini and Tiziana Campisi. Of the 135 cardinal electors eligible to vote, over three-quarters—108 cardinals—were appointed by Pope Francis himself during his 12-year pontificate. Just 22 were created by Pope Benedict XVI, and five by St. John Paul II.
This reflects Pope Francis’ long-term goal to “extend a more ‘generous’ gaze on the peripheries of the Church” and represent the global face of Catholicism more fully. As the article reports, “The 135 Cardinals Electors of the College of Cardinals hail from 71 different countries across the five continents.”
For the first time in Church history, 12 nations will be represented by a native son in a papal conclave. These include Haiti, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Sweden, Luxembourg, Timor Leste, Singapore, Paraguay, South Sudan, and Serbia. “This reflected both the late Pope’s personal inclination to shift the centre of gravity of Catholicism toward the Global South,” Zengarini and Campisi wrote.
Although Europe still holds the largest share of electors—53 in total, with Italy alone contributing 19—other regions are now a majority. The Americas will send 37 cardinals (16 from North America, 4 from Central America, and 17 from South America), followed by 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, and 4 from Oceania. The Vatican analysts note that “the ‘rest of the world’ now clearly surpasses Europe,” even though “regional representation alone won’t determine the outcome of the election of the new Pope.”
The College also reflects generational diversity. The youngest voter is Bishop Mykola Bychok of Australia, born in 1979, while the oldest is Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra of Spain, aged 79. Six cardinals were born in the 1970s, and 13 were born in the same year—1947—making that the most represented birth cohort.
In terms of religious life, 33 of the voting cardinals belong to religious orders. The Salesians have the most members represented, with five, followed by the Franciscans, Jesuits, and Conventual Franciscans. Others belong to Dominican, Redemptorist, Missionary, and other congregations that reflect the Church’s evangelizing spirit and global mission.
Two cardinals have announced they will not attend due to health issues, bringing the total number of electors to 133.
With cardinals gathering from across the world to vote under Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the diversity of the College of Cardinals will play a historic role in shaping the future of the Church. As Pope Francis reminded the faithful during his pontificate, the Church must be one “that reaches out, especially to the forgotten and the marginalized.”
