papabile
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'''''' ( , , ; plural: ; ) is an Italian word neologised in the fifteenth century at least, used internationally in many languages to describe a Catholic man—in practice, always a cardinal—who is thought of as a likely or possible candidate to be elected pope by the College of Cardinals. The term has been popularised by Vaticanologists.
~13 min read
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- {{lang|it|Papabili}} elected pope
- {{lang|it|Papabili}} not elected
- Non-{{lang|it|papabili}} elected pope
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- News articles
- External links
' ( , , ; plural: ; ) is an Italian word neologised in the fifteenth century at least, used internationally in many languages to describe a Catholic man—in practice, always a cardinal—who is thought of as a likely or possible candidate to be elected pope by the College of Cardinals. The term has been popularised by Vaticanologists.
In some cases, cardinals who were considered were elected pope. Among them are Eugenio Pacelli (Pius XII) in 1939, Giovanni Battista Montini (Paul VI) in 1963, Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) in 2005, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Francis) in 2013, and Robert Francis Prevost (Leo XIV) in 2025.