Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese.
Several prominent cardinals in Asia are regarded by the region’s faithful as worthy candidates to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Pope Francis, who headed the Catholic Church for 12 years, died on Monday aged 88. A papal conclave is expected at the Vatican within the next 15 to 20 days to elect his successor.
Numerous countries have prominent candidates including cardinals who oversee dioceses in Asia - from Sri Lanka, South Korea, the Philippines and civil-war riven Myanmar. An Asian pope would be a first for the church.
Proponents of an Asian pope say electing an Asian leader of the church would have symbolic and strategic significance, reflecting Catholicism’s rapid growth across the region and reinforcing the Church’s shift toward a more global identity.
Ascending to the papacy requires the votes of 90 out of 135 cardinals eligible to participate in the Vatican conclave.
Charles Maung Bo, born in northwest Myanmar’s now-embattled Sagaing region, presided over the Lashio diocese in the country’s northern Shan state from 1986 until 2003, when he was appointed Archbishop of Yangon. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015.
Sources close to the 76-year-old cardinal told RFA Burmese that the College of Cardinals may favor a candidate with a diplomatic and humanitarian-oriented approach similar to Pope Francis.
Catholics are about 1.0% of the population in Buddhist majority Myanmar.
Charles Maung Bo became more prominent in 2021 following the country’s military coup when he called for a peaceful solution in the face of armed uprisings across the country.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia in 2023, he referred to the ethnically diverse people of Myanmar as “brothers and sisters” and called on all sides to lay down their weapons.
“Guns beget more guns. Bullets beget more bullets. If violence is met with violence, it will only lead to more violence,” he said. “All of us, no matter which side we are on, all those who are armed, should lay down our weapons and be family.”
In Sri Lanka, another Buddhist-majority country, 77-year-old Malcolm Ranjith, serves as the Archbishop of Colombo, the nation’s capital.
Others have speculated that the next pope may come from South Korea, where around 30% of the population is Christian, or the Philippines, a Catholic-majority country.
South Korea’s 74-year-old Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik has been prominent during a period of growth for South Korea’s Catholic population and large financial contributions to the Vatican from South Korean faithful. He became a cardinal in 2022 and had roles at the Vatican.
The Philippines’ Luis Antonio Tagle, aged 67, has often been compared to Pope Francis and named by some Church watchers as a favorite of the late pope for his humanitarian and progressive social views on issues such as migration and same sex marriage. However he may be too young for the conclave, who typically select a candidate in his 70s.
Through history have been 266 popes recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, starting from St. Peter, considered the first pope, to Pope Francis, who became the 266th pontiff in 2013.
Historically, no pope of fully Asian descent has ever led the Catholic Church.
As of the end of 2023, Asia was home to approximately 121 million Catholics, accounting for 11% of the global Catholic population, which totals around 1.4 billion. This represents a growth of 0.6% from the previous year.
The Philippines and India are the strongholds of Asia’s Catholic population, with 93 million and 23 million Catholics respectively, together comprising over three-quarters of the region’s total.
Edited by Taejun Kang, Mike Firn and Stephen Wright.