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

The process of electing a successor to Benedict XVI is under way

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