After Pope Francis’s Death, a French Cardinal Poised to Announce the Name of His Successor

Pope Francis passed away on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. As mourning continues at the Vatican and his funeral is scheduled for Saturday, attention now turns to the conclave that will elect his successor. This closed-door gathering of 135 cardinal electors is set to begin between May 1 and May 6—15 to 20 days after the Pope’s death, as prescribed by Vatican protocol.

At the conclusion of the conclave, once white smoke rises above the Sistine Chapel—signaling that a new pope has been chosen by a two-thirds majority—it will be a Frenchman, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who steps onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to deliver the solemn proclamation: “Habemus Papam”—“We have a Pope.” This iconic phrase will introduce the new leader of the Catholic Church to the world.

Dominique Mamberti: The Corsican “Protodeacon” at the Heart of History

Now 73, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti hails from a Corsican father and a mother from France’s Franche-Comté region. Born in 1952 in Marrakech, he was ordained a priest in 1981 for the Diocese of Ajaccio after studying law in Alsace and political science in Paris. His long diplomatic career with the Holy See took him to key postings in Algeria, Chile, the United Nations, Lebanon, Sudan, and Somalia. From 2006 to 2014, he served as the Vatican’s de facto foreign minister.

Created cardinal in 2015, Mamberti currently heads the Apostolic Signatura—the supreme tribunal of the Catholic Church. Following a reshuffle of the College of Cardinals in July 2024, he became the senior-most cardinal deacon under the age of 80, earning him the title of “Protodeacon.” By tradition, it is this role that confers the honor of announcing the name of the new pope—unless, of course, he is elected himself.

This would not be the first time a French cardinal plays such a pivotal role. In 2013, when Pope Francis was elected, it was another Frenchman, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran—now deceased—who delivered the historic “Habemus Papam.” Should Mamberti do the same, he will continue this notable legacy, amplifying the voice of the French Church at one of Catholicism’s most symbolic moments.