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Pope Francis' demise on Monday, April 21, has sparked questions and predictions about who the next pope could be. While Cardinals like Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Pietro Parolin were expected to have more chances of becoming the next pope, an unexpected contender recently surfaced online. An X post suggested that rapper Future is one of the top contenders, "according to Vatican experts."
The piece of news was posted on April 22 by an X account with the user handle @DailyNoud. The caption in the tweet read:
"JUST IN: Future is one of the top contenders to become the next Pope, according to Vatican experts."
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The news, however, is not true. Future, being a hip-hop artist, cannot contest for the position of the head of the Catholic Church. Many netizens, too, did not seem to believe the X post and called it out in the comments section.
Also, the page that posted the tweet (Daily Noud) is actually a parody account. They are primarily known to share and circulate fake hip-hop-related news. Their bio on social media platforms suggests the same, reading:
"#1 Source For PARODY Hip-Hop News | Follow For Viral Content | These are fake stories | Not affiliated with @DailyLoud."
After Pope Francis' passing, the College of Cardinals will be deciding on the next pope through voting
Pope Francis' demise has caused many Catholics across the world to be in a state of dilemma, wondering who the next head of the Catholic Church will be. While some contenders are reportedly leading in the race, it is unlikely to predict the results accurately.
As per the BBC on April 23, a meeting of the College of Cardinals will be held in conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The Cardinals will be involved in debates and voting until one name comes up, who will then be declared as the head of the Catholic Church.
According to the BBC, some names that have popped up for the position of the next pope include Pietro Parolin, Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Michael Czerny, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Peter Erdo, Angelo Scola, Reinhard Marx, Marc Ouellet, Robert Prevost, and Robert Sarah.
Meanwhile, bets are being placed on platforms like Polymarket, with users trying to predict who the next pope could be.
With the demise of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has entered a period of mourning, aka "Novendiales." This is reportedly a period of nine days and will begin on Saturday, April 26, with the Pope's funeral. As per ACI Africa on April 23, the mourning period will continue till May 4, 2025.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, will be presiding over the funeral of Pope Francis. According to TIME on April 22, elections to elect a new pope begin about 15-20 days after the demise of the previous head. The outlet further reported that Pope Francis had already chosen about 80% of those who are supposed to elect his successor.
