Preparations Begin for New Pope's Election in Conclave... Cardinal You Heung-sik Among Potential Candidates

On April 21 (local time), following the passing of Pope Francis, it is expected that a conclave?a secret meeting of cardinals to elect the next pope?will be convened. Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik of Korea is drawing attention, as he not only holds the right to vote in this conclave but is also eligible to be elected.

Cardinal Andrew Yeom reads the papal blessing message. Photo by Asia Economy DB

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According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, the election of the next pope will be conducted based on the apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis," announced by Pope John Paul II in 1996, and the subsequent motu proprio issued by his successor, Benedict XVI, which partially amended it.

Cardinals who are under the age of 80 on the day before the papal office (the Apostolic See) becomes vacant, due to death or resignation, are eligible to vote in the papal election.

The conclave does not have a separate nomination process for candidates; instead, cardinals cast secret ballots by writing the name of the person they believe is most suitable for the papacy. The candidate who receives the acceptance of more than two-thirds of the votes becomes the pope.

Except for the rare circumstance in which the field is narrowed to two candidates due to the absence of a two-thirds majority, all cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to be elected as pope.

Accordingly, Cardinal You, who is currently 73 years old, is eligible both to vote and to be elected in this conclave. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, who is 81 years old, is not eligible to vote.

Cardinal You will be the second Korean clergyman to participate in a conclave, following Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922?2009).

In particular, Cardinal You is also being considered as a potential candidate for the next pope.He was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy in June 2021, which allowed him to work closely with Pope Francis, raising his profile and expanding his network within the Vatican.

He earned a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and was ordained as a priest in Rome, making him known for his near-native fluency in Italian.

However, the fact that the majority of cardinals are from Europe, while those from Asia are a minority, is considered a disadvantage. According to the website "The College of Cardinals Report," there are a total of 252 cardinals, of whom 135 hold voting rights.

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