WASHINGTON — With the death of Pope Francis, Catholic Cardinals will soon meet to elect a new pope, with a 79-year-old priest from Guinea being floated as a possible front-runner who would become the first African pope. 

The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, had died at age 88. Typically the conclave begins 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death or resignation.

While technically any baptized male could be elected pope, the last time the college of cardinals elected someone outside their ranks was in 1378. So, it’s likely the next pope will be one of the current members of the college of cardinals.  One of the rumored frontrunners is Cardinal Robert Sarah.

Robert Sarah, 79, of Guinea, the retired head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, has long been considered the best hope for an African pope. Beloved by conservatives, Sarah would signal a return to the doctrinaire and liturgically minded papacies of John Paul II and Benedict. 

Born in 1945 in Ourous, Guinea, to parents who converted from animism, Sarah pursued priestly studies in the Ivory Coast, Rome, and Jerusalem before being ordained in 1969. At 34, he became the youngest bishop in the world when appointed archbishop of Conakry, earning the nickname “baby bishop” from Pope John Paul II. 

After nearly a decade serving as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Sarah was elevated to cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2010. He participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis and was later named prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship by Pope Francis in 2014. 

He resigned from that role in 2021, shortly after his 75th birthday. 

Sarah remains an influential figure among conservative Catholics, frequently speaking and writing on matters of doctrine. 

He is firmly opposed to ordaining women as deacons and same-sex blessings, the latter of which he called a “heresy” in 2023. He has criticized restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass, expressed concern over the Synod on Synodality, and voiced opposition to the German “synodal way.” While he has supported environmental stewardship in line with Laudato Si’, Sarah has warned against turning social issues into the Church’s central mission at the expense of proclaiming the Gospel.

Sarah, who had previously headed the Vatican’s charity office Cor Unum, clashed on several occasions with Pope Francis. 

One of the most noteworthy incidents came when he and Benedict co-authored a book advocating the “necessity” of continued celibacy for Latin Rite priests.

The book came out as Francis was weighing whether to allow married priests in the Amazon to address a priest shortage there. Critics accused  Sarah of manipulating Benedict into lending his name and moral authority to a book that had all the appearances of being a counterweight to the Francis’ own teaching.

Francis dismissed Benedict’s secretary and several months later retired Sarah after he turned 75. Even Sarah’s supporters lamented the episode hurt his papal chances.