Find out who the Amazonian cardinal tipped to succeed Pope Francis is
22 de April de 2025
By Jadson Lima – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – The current Archbishop of Manaus (AM), Dom Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, is one of the main figures tipped to succeed Pope Francis, who died at 1:35 a.m. this Monday, the 21st, Amazonas time. Appointed the first cardinal in the Catholic Church from the Amazon in 2022, Steiner is on a list that includes at least 14 names, from which the new leader will be chosen in an election to be held during the ritual known as the Conclave, at the Vatican.
Born in Forquilhinha (SC), 203 kilometres from Florianópolis, the cardinal was inaugurated by Pope Francis on 27 August 2022, after being appointed in May of the same year. At the time of the appointment, Steiner stated that the Amazon had not been forgotten and highlighted the attention given to the region. “It is a joy to have a cardinal in the Amazon, which has not been forgotten by the Pope,” said the archbishop to the press.
He also mentioned Pope Francis’s attention to poor areas and to the Church in the Amazon. “The Pope is looking towards the peripheries, to where the Church can be very much alive, where it can build its history, as the Church in the Amazon has been building its history. I am glad to now participate more intensely in the construction of this Church, which wishes to be ever more missionary, present, and a Church increasingly alive,” he added.
Steiner was appointed bishop by John Paul II in 2005, and was also Secretary-General of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) for two terms. He became Auxiliary Bishop of Brasília by appointment of Benedict XVI. As cardinal, since 2022, he has been a member of the College of Cardinals, responsible for electing the Pope.
The Amazonian cardinal took religious vows in the Order of Friars Minor, in August 1976, and was ordained a priest on 21 January 1978. He studied Philosophy and Theology with the Franciscans of Petrópolis. Steiner also holds a degree in Philosophy and Pedagogy from the Salesian Faculty of Lorena and earned a doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical Antonianum University, in Rome.
Another Brazilian tipped
In addition to the Archbishop of Manaus, the Archbishop of Salvador, Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha, is also one of the Brazilians tipped to assume the Papacy. Born in Dobrada, in the interior of São Paulo, the cardinal was appointed to his current role in 2020. A Master in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of Theology Nossa Senhora da Assunção (SP), he worked as a professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas.
In 2021, Pope Francis appointed Sérgio da Rocha to join the Congregation for Bishops. The body is one of the main organisations of the Roman Curia, which handles the creation of dioceses, the appointment of bishops, the “ad Limina” visits, and meetings with new bishops. He joined the Council of Cardinals in 2023.
Other candidates
Alongside Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, another 13 cardinals are among the main contenders to assume leadership of the Catholic Church after the death of Pope Francis. Italy has three names: Pietro Parolin, current Secretary of State of the Vatican since 2013; Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna since 2015; and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, leader of the Catholic Church in the Middle East.
Also on the list is the Archbishop of Marseille, in France, Jean-Marc Aveline. He was appointed cardinal by the Pontiff in 2022. Another contender is the Hungarian Péter Erdő, current Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, who maintains contact with leaders of the Jewish community and is active in the so-called new evangelisation.
Among the 14 names are also: the progressive José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops; Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal-Archbishop of Manila; Robert Francis Prevost, Bishop Emeritus of Chiclayo, in Peru; Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington D.C.; and Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago.