After the death of Pope Francis, 88, on Easter Monday, several cardinals who had arrived in Rome, or only a short distance, held the first of several meetings (general congregations) to discuss the preparations for the pope’s funeral and the subsequent elections.

The Cardinal College (will elect the next pope) has 252 members, but only 135 can vote. As of the day of the Pope's death, only young people under the age of 80 could vote. In theory, church law allows Cardinal College to elect any Catholic in the world to be the next pope - but in reality, as it has been over 600 years, in fact, one of the cardinals Easters is almost certainly the successor to Francis.

As an expert in medieval Catholicism and worship, I examined how the role of the cardinal has evolved over time and how it changed in the 20th and 21st centuries.

How the Cardinal’s role develops

During the early centuries of Christianity, three classes of appointed Minters came to lead and serve the Christian community: bishops, priests, and deacons.

The bishop oversees the local church community and presides over the liturgy of the main church - the Cathedral. The pastor advises the bishop and leads the individual community-diges. Deacons tend to meet the needs of the poor, widows and orphans and take care of the community finances. They also play special roles during some worship periods and often serve as secretary to the bishop.

Over time, seven of the deacons in the main Roman churches were special counsel to the Pope of the Roman bishop. They are called Cardinals in the Latin word "Cardo" - meaning hinges, while "Cardinalis" means key or principal. Later, the pope also chose the pastor and the bishop as well as the cardinal.

Election of the Pope

In the earlier centuries, the pope would be elected by clergy and people in the city of Rome. Over time, these elections can be manipulated by local civic leaders, wealthy families and political leaders outside Rome and Italy.

It was not until the 11th century that Pope Nicholas II formulated a process of choosing a new pope: the election was assembled by the Cardinal. However, it is not always possible for all Cardinals (called Cardinal College) to come together due to age, illness or distance. Those who have to travel for a long time may be too late to vote.

To avoid continuing external interference, Pope Gregory X adopted a new procedure in the 13th century: conference. The Cardinal will remain in a locked position - from Latin and clave, "with keys" isolate from external influences until the end of the election.

Over the years, the rules of management conclusions have changed a bit. The head of Cardinal College is known as the dean of the college. For centuries, his duties included organizing meetings with the assistance of other Vatican officials. The university's size has also changed over time, but is still growing steadily despite efforts to limit its size.

From the 19th century onwards, the Pope began to expand the size and geography of the academy. Once dominated by Europeans, especially Italian cardinals, the Pope began to choose new cardinals from different regions around the world. For example, the first cardinals born in North America were named: New York Archbishop John McClosky was appointed cardinal in 1875; James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, and Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau of Quebec, also in 1886.

The expansion of the academy gathered momentum in the mid-20th century. The first locally born bishop from Asia is currently named - for example, from China in 1946, Japan in 1960 and Sri Lanka in 1965. The first locally born cardinal in Mexico and Uruguay was named in 1958, and was the first modern African African in modern times, named No. 21 from Tanzania, which was the middle trend in 1960.

Different visions

When Francis died, Francis mentioned many new non-European cardinals, especially from the global South where the Catholic Church was expanding. Currently, of the 252 cardinals, 138 are non-European. Importantly, of the 135 cardinals who were eligible to vote, 82 were not from Europe, which made the number of non-Europeans who were eligible to vote a record-breaking non-European.

In addition, at this conference, Francis named 80% of the cardinals: that was 108 of the 135 cards. This is an overwhelming number representing a variety of Catholic communities across several different cultures. The new Pope must be elected by two-thirds of the vote: a total of 90 votes. If no candidate gets 90 votes, vote as planned.

As I have seen, there are several issues that may arise and affect the vote for the upcoming elections. Some cardinal motors may wish to choose a cardinal with a more progressive view. But even other cardinals selected by Francis may still choose more conservative candidates to adjust their view of the progressive agenda for the past 12 years. Their appointment by Francis does not mean that they will automatically agree to all his ideas.

In addition, the specific problems faced by the church will also shape opinions. Perhaps most important are scandals dealing with cases of sexual abuse by clergy; the role of women in the church; and the treatment of immigration and other economic and social injustice.

Catholics around the world will pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinal’s heart when filling the votes. Many would want the Pope to be as inspiring as his predecessor, who can face the challenging problems of an increasingly complex world.