After the death of Pope Francis, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, endorsed American Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke to become the new leader of the Catholic Church. However, the 133 cardinal electors ultimately chose Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV.
Felipe Gaytán Alcalá, a researcher at La Salle University, points out that Burke did not really aspire to be Pope, but could support a conservative candidate. Ignacio Cuevas, a specialist in secular state issues, believes that all the nominated cardinals have chances, but it is unlikely that anyone close to Trump will be elected during the conclave.
Although there is speculation about the possibility of a Latin American Pope, academics like Felipe Gaytán believe that the trend points to a return of the papacy to Europe. Meanwhile, a list of the main candidates called "papables" has been created to succeed Francis.
Among the possible successors are Pietro Parolin, the current Secretary of State, Matteo Maria Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, and Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Names such as the Archbishop of Marseille, Jean-Marc Aveline, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, are also included.
As for Cardinal Raymond Burke, he studied Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and has held various positions in the Roman Curia. He is considered a representative of the most traditionalist line within the Church in the United States.
In summary, although there was initially speculation about the possibility of the candidate backed by Trump becoming Pope, in the end, another was chosen, demonstrating the complexity and uncertainty of the papal election procedures.
