The media, amid Pope Francis' illness, named his possible successors

On February 18, the New York Post newspaper named the main contenders for the post of the next head of the Catholic Church in connection with the deteriorating health of Pope Francis.

Thus, the publication indicated the Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who served in the See for 11 years and became the favorite of all predictions since November 2024. It is noted that Parolin has dedicated his stage of development in the economic activities of the Holy See. He was appointed cardinal in 2014 by Pope Francis and will "continue his legacy."

Also, the post of the next head of the Catholic Church could be occupied by the American curial cardinal, a public critic of Pope Francis' liberal direction, Raymond Burke, who speaks at the Latin Mass, the material said.

Other candidates for the post are Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Bishops' Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Dutch Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk and former president of the Hungarian Catholic Episcopal Church Peter Erde, the tabloid concludes.

According to the rules, after the death or resignation of a pope, a conclave is set up in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel where cardinals vote to determine the next head of the church.

"The Pope has a very warm attitude towards Russia"

Artist Nikas Safronov - about the audience with Francis I, the future exhibition in the Vatican and the paintings of itinerant artists in the pontiff's chambers

On February 14, the Holy See press office announced that the pope had been hospitalized. On Feb. 17, the pontiff was left hospitalized due to a respiratory tract infection. The next day it was reported that the Pope's examination revealed the onset of bilateral pneumonia.