African cardinals among top contenders as papal election scheduled for Sunday

With preparations underway for the funeral of Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church is scheduled to begin the process of electing a new leader this coming Sunday. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, marking the end of a historic papacy that saw significant reforms and global outreach.

Roman Catholic Church spokesperson Veranus Shiimi confirmed the details of the election process, known as the Conclave.

“Those who are eligible to be elected as Pope, they should be under the age of 80,” said Shiimi. “And we’ve got a couple of Cardinals, and those are the people who are going to elect the next Pope. So, immediately after the burial, they will have now the meeting. It’s called the Conclave, and then they will now start electing the new Pope from among themselves.”

Shiimi further explained that the Conclave is a strictly private affair, with no outside communication allowed.

St Mary’s Cathedral, Windhoek

“We’re not going to see what is happening in the Conclave. But the indication or the communication that is going to come to us is through smoke. There will be two smokes—a black smoke and a white smoke. The black smoke will indicate to us that we do not have a Pope yet.”

This year’s Conclave carries significant global interest as African cardinals are being viewed as serious contenders for the papacy. Among them are Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson and Congo’s Cardinal Fridolin Besungu—figures who symbolize Africa’s growing influence in the Catholic Church, which now includes over 176 million faithful on the continent.

Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson

While there is reported hesitancy within parts of the Vatican hierarchy about the idea of electing a Black pope, many believe this moment could serve as a historic turning point.

The selection of a new pope is expected to be closely followed by millions around the world, especially as the Church continues to navigate pressing social, political, and ethical challenges in the modern age.