The College of Cardinals includes 17 members from the United States. But only 10 of those are cardinal electors, meaning that they are allowed to participate in the conclave and vote for the next pope. The other seven are older than 80, the cutoff to be an elector.
Six of the 10 cardinals were elevated to the position by Pope Francis and are largely known as vocal supporters of his priorities, particularly on immigration, the environment and poverty. This will be their first conclave:
-
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, 76. Born in Nebraska, he was a bishop in South Dakota and an archbishop in Spokane, Wash. His appointment to Chicago in 2014 was one of Pope Francis’ early moves to reshape U.S. church leadership, particularly to show support for immigrants. Cardinal Cupich’s archdiocese covers about two million Catholics in Cook and Lake Counties.
-
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, 71. The former bishop of San Diego is known for regularly speaking out on behalf of migrants, women and L.G.B.T.Q. people in the church and the United States. He has said that the Trump administration’s plans for a “wider, indiscriminate, massive deportation across the country” would be “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”
-
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, 73. Before coming to Newark, he led the archdiocese of Indianapolis (where he bench-pressed 225 pounds at the gym). As a young priest, he ministered to people with AIDS in Chicago. He has said that he does not see “a compelling theological reason why the pope couldn’t name a woman cardinal.”
-
Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington, 77. The first African-American cardinal, he was president of the United States Catholic bishops’ conference in 2002 and pushed to pass the Dallas Charter, which instituted a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse of minors. Later the archbishop of Atlanta, he supported L.G.B.T. Catholics and commissioned an action plan after Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
-
Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, 77. The Irish-American was formerly bishop of Dallas. Pope Francis made him the camerlengo, or chamberlain, the Vatican’s acting administrator when a pope dies or resigns. He was responsible for verifying Pope Francis’ death.
-
Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, 69. A Chicago-born priest, he advised the pope on bishop appointments around the world. He is also a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, a religious order of men and women who follow the teachings of the fourth-century saint. Cardinal Prevost is also seen by some as a contender for pope, though a long shot. (There has never been an American pontiff.)
