4 contenders to become the next pope

4. Pietro Parolin

Cardinal Pietro Parolin serves as the Vatican secretary of state. Parolin's role as the Holy See's top diplomat makes him widely seen as second in command at the Vatican. A native of Italy, Parolin was elevated to cardinal by Francis in 2014. 

In some cases, Parolin, 70, has emerged as an outspoken supporter of upholding traditional church teaching. The Italian has described the church's position on the ordination of women as "non-negotiable," according to the College of Cardinals Report. 

In a 2015 interview after Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage via a popular vote, Parolin characterized the result as not just a "defeat for Christian principles" but a "defeat for humanity."

In a speech before the United Nations last year, Parolin addressed the Vatican's concerns about the use of the terms "sexual and reproductive health" in the supranational body's Pact for the Future. He asserted that "The Holy See does not consider abortion or access to abortion or abortifacients as a dimension of these terms."

Parolin highlighted how the Holy See saw the phrase as "applying to a holistic concept of health, which embrace, each in their own way, the person in the entirety of his or her personality, mind and body, and which foster the achievement of personal maturity in sexuality and in the mutual love and decision-making that characterize the conjugal-relationship between a man and a woman in accordance with moral norms."

Referring to the inclusion of the word "gender" in the document, Parolin stressed that "with reference to 'gender,' the Holy See understands the term to be grounded in the biological sexual identity that is male or female."

On the other hand, Parolin is believed to have played an instrumental role in "Traditionis Custodes," the encyclical that imposed restrictions on the practice of the Traditional Latin Mass.

In a 2013 interview, Parolin maintained that priestly celibacy is "not a dogma" and "not definite" while indicating that the Catholic Church was open to "some modifications" on the matter. Parolin has expressed support for allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive communion.