Latin America’s conclave wildcards
Francis named almost all the conclaves Latin Americans - but that doesn't mean they are all looking for a 'Francis II'
In the media narrative, Latin American cardinals are seen as a nearly unified voting block — loosely aligned with Pope Francis and likely to support a successor who would continue his legacy, perhaps someone like Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle or Cardinal Robert Prevost.
But the reality is more complex.
While almost all Latin American cardinals were created by Francis, not all of them necessarily share what is generally considered to be the “Francis” vision of the Church.
On the contrary, at least according to some close to the general congregations, a group of conservative Latin American cardinals are even supporting an African push to vote for Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa as a pope.
While everything ahead of a conclave should be taken with a grain of salt, that notion isn’t as far-fetched as some might think.