Papal Conclave Sweepstake 2025

Madison

Madison

Everything goes up by six
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Pick a number between 1 and 35, and you'll be allocated a set of four cardinal-electors attending the 2025 conclave in less than two weeks' time.

Each pre-determined set of four includes one of the bookies' top 35 favourites, with the rest picked to give age and geographic spread. To make it a nice round number, a number of fictional cardinals from the 2024 film Conclave are also included. There is also a wildcard in case the cardinals pick someone not attending conclave. (I'll take the last number left, after 34 have picked.)

Winner gets eternal life and a mitre. EXTRA OMNNES

1 - D5K - Cristóbal López Romero
2 - Ill Advised - José Tolentino de Mendonça
3 - GNL - Luis Antonio Tagle
4 - Funky - Joseph W. Tobin
5 - Music - Timothy Radcliffe
6 - MrsMcK - Thomas Collins
7 - Soldi - Péter Erdő

8 - Art Decade - Jean-Marc Aveline
9 -
10 - jyxz - Gerhard Ludwig Müller
11 - Tisch - Matteo Zuppi
12 - Lolly - Mykola Bychok
13 - Dmlaw - Gérald Lacroix
14 - octophone - Kevin Farrell

15 - rhythmbandit - Robert Sarah
16 - Wildchild - Raymond Leo Burke
17 - Ellie - Fridolin Ambongo Besungu
18 - Marina Salty - Arthur Roche
19 - Joseph - Robert Francis Prevost
20 - Star - Lazarus You Heung-sik
21 - Finn - João Braz de Aviz

22 - ZenGiraffe - Pierbattista Pizzaballa
23 - AGinAg (38) - Fernando Filoni
24 - Dark Carnival - Louis Raphaël I Sako
25 - Sheena - Baldassare Reina
26 - Iguana - Timothy M. Dolan
27 - Jivafox - Konrad Krajewski
28 - Apoca - Peter Turkson

29 - Lucille - Blase J. Cupich
30 - GriffM - Mauro Gambetti
31 - Sardonicus - Malcolm Ranjith
32 -
33 - ManicKangaroo - Vincent Nichols
34 - Indie - Pietro Parolin
35 - VoR - Mario Grech
 
Last edited:
VoR said:
35
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You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Mario GrechMalta68
Angelo De DonatisItaly71
Josip BozanićCroatia76
Anthony PoolaIndia63

Will Europe's dullest country get its first ever Pope? The Guardian says:

Grech was seen as a traditionalist but began to embrace more progressive views after Francis was elected in 2013. His supporters argue that his changing opinions show his capacity for growth and change. He has criticised European political leaders who sought to limit the activities of NGO ships and has expressed support for female deacons.
 
AGinAg (38) said:
23
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You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Fernando FiloniItaly79
Odilo SchererBrazil75
Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini ImeriGuatemala77
Pablo Virgilio DavidPhilippines66

Perhaps too old, but this is what has previously been set about Filoni:

A reserved and discreet figure, a man of pastoral sensitivity with a wealth of curial and diplomatic experience, Cardinal Filoni has been increasingly considered papabile.

Filoni has a global vision and international experience, possesses important diplomatic and governing skills, has shown pastoral sensitivity, and is uncompromising on Church teaching. Should cardinal electors want to return the papacy to tried and tested safe hands of the Italians, he may well fit the bill.

On the negative side, Cardinal Filoni has no experience in leading a diocese, is identified with Italian old guard bureaucracy, and despite many attributes working in his favour, he was not often mentioned as papabile at the last conclave. That may change, however, at the next one.
 
I’m almost certain that Fernando Filoni won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival a few years back.
 
Tisch said:
11 please
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You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Matteo ZuppiItaly69
Joshua AdeymiNigeria49
Vinko PuljićBosnia and Herzegovina79
Ladislav NemetSerbia68

You chose well. Zuppi is currently the bookies' fourth favourite. The Guardian says:

Appointed a cardinal by Francis in 2019, Zuppi is considered to be on the progressive wing of the church, and would be expected to continue Francis’s legacy, sharing the late pope’s concern for the poor and marginalised. He is (relatively) liberal on same-sex relationships. Two years ago, Francis made him the Vatican peace envoy for Ukraine, in which capacity he visited Moscow to “encourage gestures of humanity”. While there he met Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox church and Vladimir Putin’s ally. He has also met Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president.
 
Finn said:
21 please hun
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You get:


NameCountry of originAge
João Braz de AvizBrazil78
Roberto RepoleItaly58
Giorgio MarengoMongolia50
Virgílio do Carmo da Silva Timor-Leste57

A bit too old now - this is what was said about the Brazilian a few years back:

That said, this butcher’s son, who carries the reminders of hardship and danger in his own body, could nevertheless be an attractive compromise candidate – an insider who’s also an outsider, a man who listens, and who has a beguiling personal story to tell the world.
 
Soldi said:
7 please
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You get:

NameCountry of originAge
Péter ErdőHungary72
Daniel SturlaUruguay65
John NjueKenya79
Fernando Chomalí GaribChile68

Archconservative Viktor Orban is currently 7th with the bookies. Here's what the Guardian says:

A leading conservative candidate, Erdő has been a strong advocate for traditional Catholic teachings and doctrine. He would represent a big shift away from Francis’s approach. He is widely regarded as a great intellect and a man of culture. Erdő was a favourite of the late cardinal George Pell who believed he would restore the rule of law in the post-Francis Vatican. In 2015, Erdő appeared to align himself with Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, when he opposed Francis’s call for churches to take in migrants.
 
Madison said:
Giorgia Marengo - Mongolia
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The first fuckable one.

IMG_9268.jpeg
 
dmlaw said:
13

Although, don’t we get excommunicated for this?
Click to expand...

You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Gérald LacroixCanada67
Dominique MambertiFrance73
Filipe Neri FerrãoIndia72
George KoovakadIndia51

Canadian Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, 67, archbishop of Quebec, served as a member of Francis' Council of Cardinal Advisers. He's considered a capable manager who shares Francis' pastoral priorities but is likely to be more predictable in his governing style. An anonymous abuse complaint against him was dismissed by a Canadian court judge in 2024, but it could still cast a shadow over his candidacy.
 
Sardonicus said:
31
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You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Malcolm RanjithSri Lanka77
Francesco MontenegroItaly78
Kriengsak KovitvanitThailand75
Luis José Rueda AparicioColombia63

Few cardinals have the breadth of experience Ranjith has gained over the years, making him a preferred candidate for those seeking a reliable, traditional, conservative pope more in continuity with Benedict than with Francis, but someone with a proven track record in governance and orthodoxy from the global south — this time from Asia, an area where the Church is growing relatively rapidly.
 
Art Decade said:
8
Click to expand...
You get


NameCountry of originAge
Jean-Marc AvelineFrance66
Jaime SpenglerBrazil64
António MartoPortugal77
Antoine KambandaRwanda66

France's best change of regaining the papacy, Aveline is 10th with bookmakers.

Currently the lone residential cardinal-archbishop in mainland France, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, 66, was reportedly very close to Pope Francis. While Francis has made it a priority to visit smaller, marginalized European countries during his pontificate, Cardinal Aveline was instrumental in securing a papal trip to his Marseille see city in 2023. An impressive scholar and academic, Cardinal Aveline has degrees from two of Paris' most prestigious universities, the historic Sorbonne and the pontifical Institut Catholique de Paris. Ordained a priest for Marseille in 1984 and named an auxiliary bishop there in 2014, Cardinal Aveline was appointed archbishop of his own diocese in 2019. While Cardinal Aveline's priorities match up with many of Pope Francis' own -- especially concerning migration, synodality and decentralization of the church -- Cardinal Aveline is regarded as one who puts a major emphasis on building up communion and fostering unity. This can be seen in his work facilitating interreligious dialogue or even sympathetic accompaniment of traditional Latin Mass adherents after the restrictions levied by Pope Francis in 2021.
 
ZenGiraffe said:
22
Click to expand...
You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Pierbattista PizzaballaItaly60
Charles Maung BoMyanmar76
Philippe OuédraogoBurkina Faso79
John RibatPapua New Guinea68

The man with the most Italian-possible name is currently sixth favourite.

Italian native and Franciscan Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, was appointed Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020. He has spent a quarter of a century ministering in the Holy Land, including in a mix of academic and pastoral work. As the Israeli-Hamas war unfolded in 2023, then-Archbishop Pizzaballa was named a cardinal, and made news shortly thereafter when he offered himself up to Hamas in exchange for the release of abducted children. His elevation was evidence of great respect in Rome for his diplomatic tact, which could also mean the cardinal-electors might see the "right stuff" in him as divisions in the world and in the church continue to widen. Raised in Castel Liteggio, Northern Italy's Lombardy, his childhood was marked by a simple country life, as he recalled during his episcopal ordination in 2016. Jerusalem gave him a rousing send-off prior to leaving the city for the conclave, and in a video recorded before heading to Rome, Cardinal Pizzaballa said: "It's a moment when we need to be united in prayer."
 
jivafox said:
27 ploise
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You get:

NameCountry of originAge
Konrad KrajewskiPoland61
Claudio GugerottiItaly69
Orani João TempestaBrazil74
Grzegorz RyśPoland61

Perhaps another Polish Pope?

John L. Allen Jr., a Vatican publicist, remarked in 2022 that Krajewski is "cut from the same cloth as Francis," highlighting his alignment with the late pope's vision. The Italian newspaper La Stampa recently suggested that Krajewski would be a "natural choice" for the papacy if the Church aims to continue the progressive agenda of Pope Francis. While he may not be the frontrunner, his loyalty to Francis's mission positions him as a potential compromise candidate.
 
Madison said:
You get:


NameCountry of originAge
João Braz de AvizBrazil78
Roberto RepoleItaly58
Giorgio MarengoMongolia50
Virgílio do Carmo da SilvaTimor-Leste57

A bit too old now - this is what was said about the Brazilian a few years back:

That said, this butcher’s son, who carries the reminders of hardship and danger in his own body, could nevertheless be an attractive compromise candidate – an insider who’s also an outsider, a man who listens, and who has a beguiling personal story to tell the world.
Click to expand...
Four absolute rides. God bless you my child :lolly:
 
rhythmbandit said:
15 please.
Click to expand...
You get:

NameCountry of originAge
Robert SarahGuinea79
Vincent BenitezAfghanistan54
Jean-Pierre KutwaIvory Coast79
Stephen BrislinSouth Africa68

Cardinal Sarah is the fifth favourite. He probably hates Moopy:

Cardinal Sarah has been a leading player in the Vatican since 2001, and carries a lot of experience through various roles in the Church’s institutions. Some thought that his best opportunity came in 2013, when Pope Francis emerged as the choice of the cardinals instead. Cardinal Sarah is a traditionalist and a conservative, who has suggested that some of the reforms brought in by the Second Vatican Council to modernise the Church in the 1960s are not obligatory. He is very anti-LGBT+ and has opposed attempts to recognise homosexuality in various African countries.
 
Madison said:
You get:


NameCountry of originAge
Gérald LacroixCanada67
Dominique MambertiFrance73
Filipe Neri FerrãoIndia72
George KoovakadIndia51

Canadian Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, 67, archbishop of Quebec, served as a member of Francis' Council of Cardinal Advisers. He's considered a capable manager who shares Francis' pastoral priorities but is likely to be more predictable in his governing style. An anonymous abuse complaint against him was dismissed by a Canadian court judge in 2024, but it could still cast a shadow over his candidacy.
Click to expand...
Lacroix, sweetie.
 
Ellie said:
17
Click to expand...
You get:

NameCountry of originAge
Fridolin Ambongo BesunguDemocratic Republic of the Congo65
Anders ArboreliusSweden75
Juan José OmellaSpain79
Tarcisio Isao KikuchiJapan66

One of three African Cardinals in the top ten with the bookies. The BBC says:

He has been Archbishop of Kinshasa for seven years, and was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis. He is a cultural conservative, opposing blessings for same-sex marriage, stating that "unions of persons of the same sex are considered contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically evil".

Though Christianity is the majority religion in the DRC, Christians there have faced death and persecution at the hands of jihadist group Islamic State and associated rebels. Against that backdrop, Cardinal Ambongo is viewed as a fierce advocate for the Church. But in a 2020 interview, he spoke in favour of religious plurality, saying: "Let Protestants be Protestants and Muslims be Muslims. We are going to work with them. But everyone has to keep their own identity." Such comments could lead some cardinals to wonder if he fully embraces their sense of mission - in which Catholics hope to spread the Church's word throughout the world.
 
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