Pope Francis passes away: These four Indian cardinals will vote for the next Pontiff

Pope Francis has passed away.

The Pope, who was 88 years old, died after years of struggling with his health.

Pope Francis was last seen in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, where he blessed thousands of the faithful.

Now, all eyes are on the papal conclave that will be assembled to choose the next Bishop of Rome.

When the conclave is convened, 138 cardinals under the age of 80 will be eligible to vote.

This includes four from India.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Papal Conclave

Papal power changes hands when the pope dies or resigns.

The camerlengo or chamberlain will organise the papal conclave in the Sistine Chapel, following centuries-old traditions.

The position is currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the head of the Vatican’s laity office.

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All voting cardinals must first take an oath of secrecy before being cut off from the outside world.

According to Catholic Church laws, cardinals under the age of 80 are the only ones who can vote in the papal conclave. Of the 252 cardinals, 138 are under 80 and eligible to participate in the upcoming conclave, according to the College of Cardinals Report website.

In rounds of deliberation and voting, each cardinal writes the name of their preferred candidate on a ballot.

The ballots are folded and put in a chalice with Michelangelo’s Last Judgement fresco underneath.

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Three cardinals are chosen to record and count the votes.

Four rounds of voting take place each day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.

The ballots are burnt with chemicals on a special stove within the chapel if no candidate earned the necessary number of votes. Black smoke rises from the chimney, indicating that voting will continue.

White smoke is released upon the election of a pope, and the famous Latin phrase “Habemus Papam,” which translates to “We have a Pope,” is used to proclaim the new pope.

Also read: Pope Francis survived two assassination attempts in 2021. Here's what we know

Who are Indian cardinals that will vote?

There are six cardinals in India, but Cardinals George Alencherry, 79, and Oswald Gracias, 80, are now  too old to cast ballots.

Alencherry turned 80 just two days ago on April 19, 2025, while Cardinal Gracias turned 80 last Christmas Eve.

The four cardinals who will cast their votes in the next papal conclave are all from different backgrounds and play important roles in the Catholic Church.

According to News18, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, 72, is the seventh patriarch of the East Indies and the archbishop of Goa and Daman.

He has prioritised social justice, especially concerning migration and climate change, family ministry, and interreligious dialogue.

As per The Week, Ferrao was born on 20 January 1953 in Goa’s Mapusa.

On October 28, 1979, he received his priesthood ordination.

Ferrao received his his episcopal ordination on April 10, 1994.

He was promoted to the College of Cardinals on August 27, 2022 by Pope Francis .

Ferrao has been Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman since 2004.

He is the sixth Goan to be appointed Cardinal.

Cardinal Ferrao took over as president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) earlier this year.

Cardinal Cleemis Baselios, 64, who was born Isaac Thottumkal, is the Major Archbishop of Trivandrum and Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Baselios was the first cardinal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, as per The Week.

He was promoted to the College of Cardinals on November 24, 2012 by Pope Benedict.

He was also the youngest to be given the title of Cardinal at age 53.

Baselios was called to the priesthood on June 11, 1986, and the Episcopate on August 15, 2001.

Speaking to ANI, Cardinal Cleemis said, “Let me express our heartfelt condolences and prayer for solidarity as Pope Francis has passed away.”

Describing the pontiff as a global spiritual figure, he said, “As the leader of the Church and entire humanity, especially a champion of the people who are at the periphery, he stood firm in re-reading the gospel, trying to find our Jesus and his approaches towards human beings, focusing on those marginalised.”

“I personally recall with gratitude that after his meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Pope Francis told me that your country is a great country. Such an affection he had in his mind for India,” he said.

Reflecting on the Pope’s leadership, Cardinal Cleemis noted, “Pope Francis became a leader for those outside the mainstream — an embodiment of exemplary dedication. I have had the opportunity to know him personally since 2013. He held deep respect for Indian culture and led with a unique and inspiring approach. He worked as a symbol of unity in society.”

“Conversations with him were always heartfelt. His spirituality cannot be measured by any ordinary standard. He was a spiritual soul of differences — someone who embraced diversity with compassion and wisdom,” the Cardinal added.

He further noted, “He is a man who is with the people. The last ceremony he participated in was a celebration of faith with the people on Easter.”

“Recently he had started using a wheelchair but before that he always insisted on personally seeing people out after they finished their meetings with him,” he added.

Cardinal Anthony Poola, 63, is India’s first Dalit Cardinal.

He is committed to assisting underprivileged children.

As per The Week, Poola was born in , Andhra Pradesh’s Poluru on November 15, 1961.

Poola was supported by the missionaries when he could not afford secondary education.

Poola entered the college of cardinals alongside Ferrao in 2022.

His promotion to the College of Cardinals has been seen as a step towards resolving caste-based injustices.

He is  the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad.

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, 51, is a skilled Vatican diplomat and a Syro-Malabar archbishop from Kerala.

As per The Week, Koovakad was born on August 11, 1973, in Kerala’s Chethipuzha.

He is one of the youngest cardinals in the world.

He had organised Pope Francis’s foreign trips before being appointed as prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in January 2025.

He received his priesthood ordination on July 24, 2004; his episcopal ordination on November 24, 2024; and on December 7, 2024, he was promoted to the College of Cardinals.

Koovakad is also prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The group was founded in 1964 by Pope Paul XVI to promote interreligious dialogue.

In the 2013 papal election, Indian cardinals Telesphore Toppo (Archbishop of Patna), Oswald Gracias (Archbishop of Mumbai), Mar George Alencherry and Mar Baselios Cheemis, the leaders of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Churches, and Ivan Dias (Roman Curia), the former Archbishop of Mumbai all voted for Pope Francis.

Speaking to ANI, Cardinal Oswald Gracias remarked, “Pope Francis was a person who spent his life for the sake of the people. His messages were continuously for the world were for peace, compassion for the poor and this same orientation he wanted in the Chruch. He spoke so strongly on migration and the rights of migrants. Even in his personal dealings with world leaders, he insisted on this…He was a man of prayer, dedication and a man of the people…”

“Tomorrow, the cardinals in Rome will meet. I will also leave for Rome in two days. The first thing that they will decide on is when to hold the funeral rites,” he added.

With inputs from agencies