What qualities should the cardinals be looking for in choosing the next Pope?

01 May 2025, The Tablet

Circles of talent: how various cardinals often regarded as papabile compare when set against desired criteria in global leaders

graphic: Malgorzata Chylinska Pequeno

Conclave 2025 – the cardinals are on a ‘mission impossible’. What kind of man will they be discerning for pope?

When the conclave ends, and the chosen cardinal utters his accepto, the impossibility of what lies ahead will dawn. Almost every pope both succeeds and fails. While it is temptingly easy to quote Samuel Beckett, his words are apt: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

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