The process of electing a successor to Benedict XVI is under way and here are 10 of the candidates in the running to lead the Catholic Church.
Joao Braz de Aviz
- Archbishop of Brasilia
- Born 1947 in Santa Caterina, Brazil
- As young priest, caught in a robbery’s cross-fire
- Studied at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian and Lateran Universities
- Made cardinal in 2012
- Focuses on welfare of the poor
Timothy Dolan
- Archbishop of New York
- Born 1950 in St Louis, Missouri, US
- PhD in Church history and was rector of Rome’s North American College
- One of Time’s 100 most influential people for 2012
Marc Ouellet
- Archbishop of Quebec, head of Congregation for Bishops
- Born 1944 in La Motte, Quebec
- Decided to become a priest as a teenager
- Taught in seminaries in Colombia and Canada
Gianfranco Ravasi
- President of the Pontifical Council for Culture
- Born 1942 in Lecco, Italy
- Chose priesthood over teaching Latin and Greek classics
- Helped popularize scripture studies through Italian media
Leonardo Sandri
- Head of Vatican dept for Eastern Churches
- Born 1943 in Argentina to Italian parents
- Became a papal diplomat after ordination
- Served as Vatican’s chief-of-staff 2000-07
- Speaks English, French, German, Italian and Spanish
Odilo Scherer
- Archbishop of Sao Paulo
- Born 1949 in Cerro Lago, Brazil, of German-Brazilian heritage
- Doctorate in theology
- Head of Church’s largest dioceses in world’s largest Catholic country
Christoph Schoenborn
- Archbishop of Vienna
- Born 1945, son of a Bohemian count
- Seen as Benedict’s intellectual protégé
- Respected by Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christians
- Embroiled in open rebellion by hundreds of own priests in Austria
- Has broken ranks to speak in favor of reform
Angelo Scola
- Archbishop of Milan
- Born 1941 in Milan, Italy
- Son of a truck driver
- Has doctorates in Christian philosophy and theology
- Italian newspaper calls him “crown prince of Catholicism”
Luis Tagle
- Archbishop of Manila
- Born 1957 in the Philippines
- Reputation as a man of the people
- Media-savvy, frequent broadcaster
- Served on International Theologian Commission
- Made cardinal in November 2012
Peter Turkson
- Archbishop of Cape Coast, general secretary of Synod for Africa
- Born 1948 in western Ghana
- Attended New York seminary
- First-ever Ghanaian cardinal in 2003
- Seen as a moderate
