Ten American cardinals are among the 133 electors set to take part in the upcoming papal conclave — and one of them could even emerge as the successor to Pope Francis. 

The group includes a contingent of U.S. ordinaries who were elevated by the late Argentinian pontiff — and who have strongly advocated Francis’ pastoral and theological views — as well as a handful of Rome-based Curia figures and even some cardinal-archbishops created by Pope Benedict XVI. 

While the possibility of the first American pope seems unlikely, given the widespread sense that a pontiff shouldn’t come from the world’s most powerful country, a few of the U.S. cardinal-electors are considered papal prospects. Other American cardinals are expected to serve as key behind-the-scenes influencers during the conclave inside the Sistine Chapel. The rest will simply take part in the proceedings and cast their vote for whom they think should be the next pope. 

In addition to the 10 electors, American cardinals like Seán O’Malley, archbishop emeritus of Boston, and Donald Wuerl, archbishop emeritus of Washington, are participating in pre-conclave meetings, but are ineligible to vote given that they’re over 80 years old. 

Here are the American cardinals participating in the conclave and the impact they’re likely to have.  

 

CARDINAL BLASE CUPICH
Archbishop of Chicago
76 years old 

Arguably no American prelate has been more influential during Francis’ papacy than the Windy City archbishop. The first American to be made a cardinal by Francis in 2016, Cardinal Cupich’s liberal stances — such as his opposition to describing abortion as the “preeminent issue” of concern for the U.S. bishops and his aggressive restricting of traditional liturgy in Chicago — foreshadowed the kind of profile Francis would go on to elevate in his other U.S. cardinal picks. And as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Cupich has played an important role in shaping U.S. episcopal appointments, especially to prominent sees. 

Even so, Cardinal Cupich isn’t expected to be much of a contender for the papacy. As an aggressive proponent of Francis’ agenda, he was often on the attack against his own bishops’ conference and is not a particularly unifying figure. 

Nonetheless, just as he exercised significant influence on Francis’ picks for U.S. archbishops and cardinals, Cardinal Cupich may also be an important coordinator for cardinals seeking a “Francis II-type” candidate. 

 

CARDINAL JOSEPH TOBIN  
Archbishop of Newark
73 years old 

One candidate Cardinal Cupich could be encouraging other electors to consider is his confrere from Newark, New Jersey. Of all the American ordinaries made cardinals by Francis, Cardinal Tobin is widely considered to be the one with the most real papal prospects. 

A former superior general of the Redemptorists who also served as a curial secretary, the Detroit-born cardinal has both worldwide and Roman connections. He is decidedly liberal, having emphasized pastoral care over doctrinal clarity when it comes to ministering to the divorced and remarried, and the decentralization of Church authority. But unlike Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin is still viewed as something of an ecclesial bridge-builder, and has a reputation for hearing out even those he disagrees with.  

Whether as an influencer or as a potential contender, expect Cardinal Tobin to be a formidable presence inside the Sistine Chapel. 

 

 

CARDINAL RAYMOND BURKE
Former Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
76 years old 

Cardinal Burke was a frequent critic of Pope Francis — and is now a favorite among the traditionalist groups in the Catholic Church. The canonist, who was the archbishop of St. Louis before coming to Rome in 2008 to lead the Church’s highest court, is known for his promotion of doctrinal integrity and traditional liturgy. He made headlines for co-authoring dubia, or requests for doctrinal clarification, to Pope Francis in 2016 and 2023 — and for being ordered by Francis to vacate his Vatican apartment. 

Cardinal Burke may be popular among the vocal traditionalist movement, but it seems unlikely that his narrower appeal will earn him a sizable enough following to come close to cracking the two-thirds threshold. Still, his influence among more traditional-leaning Catholics may make him an important voice as cardinals coalesce around candidates inside the Sistine Chapel. 

 

CARDINAL ROBERT PREVOST  
Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops
69 years old 

The College of Cardinals is more diverse than ever, but its members have also had limited opportunities to get to know each other. Given this dynamic, a higher-visibility curial figure like the Chicago-born Cardinal Prevost could have an advantage in a conclave.  

The prelate came to Rome in 2023 after decades of missionary work as an Augustinian in Peru, including eight years as bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, and was made a cardinal that same year. In his position as head of the Vatican’s bishop-making office, he has interacted with senior Church leaders around the world. His relative youth may not be what this conclave is looking for, but his canon-law background and relatively moderate profile suggest papal potential. 

 

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN
Archbishop of New York
75 years old 

The larger-than-life Cardinal Dolan was a much-talked-about papal contender back during the 2013 conclave, which ended up electing Pope Francis. This time around, the Big Apple cardinal is flying under the radar. 

President of the U.S. bishops’ conference from 2010 to 2013 and made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, some have speculated that Cardinal Dolan fell out of favor with Pope Francis after signing on to a letter that expressed concerns that the 2015 Synod on the Family was being mismanaged. 

Whatever the case, Cardinal Dolan could serve as an effective representative of the globally influential U.S. Catholic establishment, an important aspect for the conclave to consider after a tense 12 years between the Vatican and the Catholic Church in the United States during the pontificate of Pope Francis. 

 

CARDINAL KEVIN FARRELL  
Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
77 years old 

Cardinal Farrell, who was born in Ireland but spent most of his ordained years in the United States, has been in the spotlight in the wake of Pope Francis’ death. As camerlengo (chamberlain), he has been tasked with managing the Vatican’s temporal affairs during the sede vacante period — a role that has included verifying the pope’s death, sealing the papal apartments, and overseeing funeral arrangements. 

But Cardinal Farrell’s Vatican ties go deeper. He has served as prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life since 2016, the same year Pope Francis made the former bishop of Dallas a cardinal. Considered a moderate figure, the greatest stumbling block to any papal path for Cardinal Farrell is likely to be his association with a pair of disgraced churchmen: He was originally ordained to the Legionaries of Christ, led at the time by the order’s found and notorious abuser, Father Marcial Maciel, and was later a housemate in Washington, D.C., with former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Still, his curial experience suggests he may play an influential role in the conclave. 

 

CARDINAL ROBERT MCELROY
Archbishop of Washington, D.C.
71 years old 

Cardinal McElroy’s profile was significantly boosted when Pope Francis gave then-bishop of San Diego a red hat in 2022, bypassing more senior California clerics such as Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. Since then, the progressive intellectual has aggressively pushed the envelope, advocating for everything from the ordination of female deacons and discussion of women priests to rethinking the Church’s moral teaching to diminish the gravity of sexual sin. 

Cardinal McElroy was brought to Washington, DC, on March 11, in what was widely viewed as a counterweight to President Donald Trump. This track record indicates the kind of role Cardinal McElroy will play in conclave discussions: a boundary-pushing provocateur, though certainly not a papal candidate.
 

CARDINAL WILTON GREGORY  
Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C.
77 years old 

The first African American cardinal, Cardinal Gregory is generally grouped with the three other U.S. ordinaries created cardinal by Pope Francis. However, there’s reason to believe that he doesn’t necessarily see eye to eye with Cardinals Cupich, Tobin and McElroy on everything. For instance, Cardinal Gregory was excluded from a meeting the trio had with Pope Francis this past October, which was widely speculated to be about naming the now-retired archbishop’s successor in D.C. 

Cardinal Gregory is not expected to be any kind of conclave mover or shaker. Instead, he could be something of a “swing vote,” one of many electors who determine if the next pope is more of a “Francis II” or a more stabilizing figure. 

 

CARDINAL DANIEL DINARDO
Archbishop Emeritus of Galveston-Houston
75 years old 

Raised to the College of Cardinals in 2007, Cardinal DiNardo is the longest-tenured red hat among the American delegation of electors. He is seen as a steady, doctrinally grounded prelate, who led the U.S. bishops’ conference from 2016 to 2019. Cardinal DiNardo also served in the Roman Curia in the early years of his ministry. 

Cardinal DiNardo retired from active ministry in March, and a stroke suffered in 2019 means he will likely not be a papal contender. However, given his knowledge of Vatican inner workings and status as a well-regarded American Churchman, his backing in a conclave could be influential. 

 

CARDINAL JAMES HARVEY
Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
75 years old 

Born in Milwaukee, Cardinal Harvey has been an American in Rome for most of his ordained ministry. After serving in the Holy See’s diplomatic corps, he eventually became the prefect of the Papal Household, overseeing the organization of papal audiences and ceremonies under both John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He was made a cardinal by the latter, who also appointed him to lead St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four major basilicas. 

A lower-profile figure with strong connections to senior curial figures from the Benedict XVI and John Paul II papacies, Cardinal Harvey can reliably be counted on to cast a vote for a figure who shares their priorities.