These well-known cardinals will elect the next pope

Soon around 135 men in red robes will be locked in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Almost all of them will emerge in the same outfit - only one will then wear a white robe - and will be the next pope.

During his term of office (2013-2025),Pope Francis has appointed numerous cardinals - many from distant parts of the world. In doing so, he wanted to strengthen Christian minorities and persecuted Catholics. However, this means that many of the cardinals do not really know each other - there is no regular get-together or WhatsApp group for the princes of the church. And yet some of their names are known. A look at the "heavyweights" of the Catholic Church.

The Luxembourger Jean-Claude Hollerich (66) from Luxembourg gained great renown through his leading role in the organisation and leadership of the World Synod. As the face of the Synod, he is also known to cardinals outside Europe. Hollerich worked in Tokyo for a long time. Like Pope Francis, he is a Jesuit.

Matteo Maria Zuppi (69) is President of the Italian Bishops' Conference. He gained international fame as the Pope's special envoy during the war in Ukraine. He is close to the Catholic movement Sant'Egidio. Zuppi is considered progressive in terms of church policy. His spiritual roots lie in northern Italian social Catholicism, which also produced Pope John XXIII.

Rainer Maria Woelki (68) has been Archbishop of Cologne since 2014. He was previously Archbishop of Berlin and was appointed Cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2012. Disputes over the abuse investigation in Cologne and a conservative church policy stance caused problems in Cologne. Woelki is sceptical about the German synodal path.

Reinhard Marx (71) has headed the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising since 2008. Marx was part of a team of advisors to Francis and worked on the reform of the Curia. In Germany, Marx, who headed the German Bishops' Conference from 2014 to 2020 and also led the EU bishops (COMECE), is regarded as a reformer. Together with Catholic laypeople, he initiatedthe "Synodal Way"at . Marx admitted his own misconduct in the abuse scandal and offered Pope his resignation from office, but he refused.

The Argentinian Víctor Manuel Fernandez (62) was previously head of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Having only recently joined the Vatican, he is already a prominent non-Italian in the conclave. As a close confidant of Francis, he played a key role in the paper on the blessing of homosexuals, "Fiducia supplicans". He is regarded as the late Pope's ghostwriter.

Gerhard Ludwig Müller (77) is the only German to have made Francis a cardinal. The collaboration between the two did not always run smoothly. In 2017, the Pope did not extend Müller's term of office as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He subsequently criticised Francis' conduct of his office several times in public.

The Swiss Kurt Koch (75) has headed the Vatican's ecumenical authority for 15 years. He therefore accompanied Francis on several trips abroad.

Luis Antonio Tagle (67) from Manila is Asia's best-known cardinal. He was already a very young candidate at the 2013 conclave and was considered papabile. He was close to Francis. However, his dismissal as president of Caritas Internationalis due to irregularities was a setback for Tagle.

The Italian Pietro Parolin (70) was Cardinal Secretary of State and therefore the number two in the Vatican. As an internationally renowned and well-connected diplomat, he was seen as Francis' extended arm and supported him in the reform of the Curia.

The US-American Raymond Leo Burke (76) is one of the most outspoken opponents of Francis' reforms. He strictly rejected the blessing of homosexual couples, for example. However, his public criticism of the Pope had consequences: He was stripped of his official residence and salary.

The African Robert Sarah (79) was at the head of the Vatican's worship authority for a long time. He is an avowed supporter of centuries-old church traditions and a staunch opponent of reform efforts.

Pierbattista Pizzaballa (60) is the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. As Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Italian is a key figure in mediating between the religions there.

Among the US bishops, Robert McElroy (71) belongs to the progressive spectrum. He was appointed Archbishop of Washington shortly before Donald Trump's handover of power at the beginning of the year. He calls for space for sexual minorities and migrants and is oneof the critics of the Trump administration.

Jaime Spengler (64) is an important Catholic voice in South America. Since 2023, the Franciscan, who was born to German emigrants, has headed the Brazilian Bishops' Conference and is at the head of the Latin American Bishops' Council CELAM.

Africa's most influential voice in the global church is probably Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (65). He strictly rejects attempts at reform, such as the blessing of homosexuals, and criticises the West for attempts at "cultural colonisation".