Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork withdrawing from the race in Arizona, according to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. The move comes as Kennedy is set to make a public address at 2 PM EST on Friday, with many expecting he will withdraw from the race and endorse former President Donald J. Trump.
RFK Jr. has said the Democrats under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden would be “unrecognizable” to his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and father, Robert ‘Bobby’ Kennedy Sr. Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, recently said the campaign is considering two options: “one is staying in, forming that new party. But we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Waltz presidency because we draw votes from Trump. Or, we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
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A leaked call between Kennedy and Trump following Trump’s near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, shows the former president discussing the possibility of Kennedy joining a restored Trump administration, possibly with a role investigating vaccine safety.
“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” Trump said on the possibility of Kennedy joining forces with him on Tuesday. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly, I’d be open to it,” he added.
Kennedy also praised Trump for reaching out to him, noting this is more than the Democrats, his former party, have done in 18 months.
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❓What Happened: A Virginia judge acquitted former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of wrongdoing in a $14,000 payout dispute, rejecting claims he overpaid departing staffers’ unused vacation time.
👥 Who’s Involved: Ryan McGowan, Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Uston, CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen, former CPAC general counsel David Safavian, former executive director Dan Schneider, and CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp.
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📍 Where & When: Alexandria Circuit Court, Alexandria, Virginia, May 6, 2025.
⚠️ Impact: The ruling exposes CPAC leadership’s inconsistencies, potentially weakening its influence while strengthening McGowan’s rival conservative group amid ongoing fallout from the Schlapp scandal.
IN FULL:
A Virginia court has cleared former Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) finance director Ryan McGowan of allegations he improperly paid $14,000 in unused vacation time to five departing staffers, delivering a sharp rebuke to the Matt Schlapp-led outfit. The decision, handed down in Alexandria Circuit Court, highlights internal dysfunction at CPAC, which has also been rocked by homosexual scandals involving Schlapp for years.
Judge Kathleen Uston, in a 30-minute evidence review, pointed to glaring contradictions in the testimony of CPAC executive Lynne Rasmussen and former general counsel David Safavian.
Rasmussen claimed she emailed staff about a paid time off (PTO) limit but failed to produce the emails, and a text exchange showed her asking McGowan’s deputy for a 15 percent salary increase while keeping McGowan in the dark—contradicting her testimony that the deputy lacked such authority. The judge also noted the frustration of the Alexandria detective investigating the case, who was blindsided by details Rasmussen withheld.
The case, long followed by The National Pulse, was more to do with Schlapp pursuing a vendetta at those he perceived to undermine his leadership than any actual wrongdoing.
McGowan’s new conservative group, which grades lawmakers, has also drawn CPAC’s ire, though a civil suit against them was dismissed earlier this year.
Testimony also revealed McGowan had flagged a $50,000 legal bill CPAC paid for Schlapp during the scandal, reigniting scrutiny of Schlapp’s leadership.
CPAC and its parent organization, the American Conservative Union (ACU), has now shelled out vast swathes of donor cash, staff time, and attracted mountains of negative publicity as a result of Schlapp’s numerous escapades.
For years, The National Pulse has been at the forefront of exposing the corruption inside the organization, including contributions from Soros-linked groupsSoros-linked groups, as well as extreme financial improprieties.
The organization is now a shell of its former self, once hosting the largest annual conservative conference, now relegated to an afterthought.
❓What Happened: Friedrich Merz failed to secure enough votes to become Germany’s Chancellor (Prime Minister) on an initial ballot in the German legislature, the first time such an event has occurred since the Second World War. However, he managed to secure sufficient votes after a second attempt.
👥 Who’s Involved: Friedrich Merz, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), Social Democrats (SPD).
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📍 Where & When: German Bundestag (Parliament), May 6.
💬 Key Quote: “It is an annoying process, but in a parliamentary democracy, in a liberal country, this is unfortunately one of the scenarios that you have to be prepared for,” complained Johann Wadepuhl, Merz’s prospective foreign minister, after he failed to pass the initial ballot.
⚠️ Impact: The failure to elect a chancellor on the first ballot was historic; there was a potential for new elections if a majority had not been reached within 14 days.
IN FULL:
Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany‘s notionally conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)—formerly led by Angela Merkel—did not secure enough votes in the Bundestag to become Chancellor in an initial ballot. This marks the first time since World War II that a candidate for Chancellor has failed to win on the initial ballot in the German legislature.
Merz required a majority of 316 votes to succeed but fell short by six votes, obtaining only 310 out of 630. His coalition, which includes the CDU, its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the leftist Social Democrats, holds a slim majority with 328 seats. The secret ballot nature of the vote means it is unclear who within his coalition did not support him, although he managed to push through with 325 votes on his second attempt.
If Merz had not managed to secure a majority within 14 days, the German president, who generally plays a largely ceremonial head of state role in national politics, could have been forced to intervene and either appoint the candidate with the most votes as Chancellor or dissolve parliament, prompting a new national election.
Johann Wadepuhl, set to become Merz’s foreign minister, said of Merz’s initial failure, “It is an annoying process, but in a parliamentary democracy, in a liberal country, this is unfortunately one of the scenarios that you have to be prepared for.”
Meanwhile, Alice Weidel, co-leader of the largest opposition group, Alternative for Germany (AfD), criticized Merz’s coalition—roughly equivalent to a Republican-Democrat alliance—calling it a “weak foundation.” She has urged for Merz’s resignation and the initiation of new elections.
The vote comes less than a week after the German domestic intelligence service declared the AfD a right-wing extremist organization, allowing surveillance measures directed at all party members and the use of informants. The move was met with significant criticism from the Trump administration.
❓What Happened: The Labour government has scrapped a compensation program for child sex abuse victims in England and Wales, originally promised by the former Conservative (Tory) government.
👥 Who’s Involved: The decision involves the Labour Party government, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and Britain’s Home Office. Victims of child sexual abuse and survivors of Muslim grooming gangs are affected.
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📍 Where & When: The decision affects England and Wales, with the report emerging recently.
💬 Key Quote: Sarah Wilson, a survivor, stated, “They never cared, and they never will. [They] totally dismissed survivors and our experiences of being groomed.”
⚠️ Impact: Canceling the compensation scheme leaves victims without promised redress and raises concerns about accountability for past failures in protecting young girls.
IN FULL:
Britain’s leftist Labour government has reportedly decided to cancel a compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse in England and Wales. This program, initially promised by the previous Conservative government, was intended to provide financial redress to survivors.
The Home Office, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in its report titled Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update, cited financial constraints as the reason for halting further steps on the proposal, stating that “in the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward”—despite vast sums being found to lavish on hotels and other accommodation for illegal aliens.
The scheme was first suggested following recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Alexis Jay. While similar redress programs have been implemented in Northern Ireland and Scotland, victims in England and Wales are left without this avenue for compensation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer‘s administration defends its decision not to conduct a national inquiry into the grooming scandals involving predominantly Muslim, Pakistani-heritage gangs preying on predominantly white, working-class victims. The government claims that existing reports, like the Jay report, provide sufficient insight, even though they do not cover many grooming gang hotspots. Most believe a full national inquiry with statutory powers is necessary to compel witness testimony and ensure accountability for the scandal.
Cabinet minister Lucy Powell recently dismissed concerns about the grooming gangs as “dog whistle” politics. This response has drawn criticism from survivors like Sarah Wilson, who expressed frustration over the lack of attention to their experiences, saying, “They never cared, and they never will. [They] totally dismissed survivors and our experiences of being groomed.”
The issue of accountability remains pressing, particularly in Labour-run areas like Rotherham, where an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded without any police officers being punished, despite acknowledging that police ignored grooming gangs to avoid stoking racial tensions. An unnamed police chief inspector reportedly said, “With it being [South] Asians, we can’t afford for this to be coming out as Rotherham would erupt.”
❓What Happened: There has been a significant rise in sexual violence in Spain, with 5,206 rapes reported in 2024. This comes alongside a rise in illegal immigration, with the country accounting for around a fifth of all asylum claims in the European Union (EU) in 2024, with a large proportion of sexual predators being foreign nationals.
👥 Who’s Involved: The Spanish Ministry of the Interior, law enforcement, migrants, and campaigners like Elena Ramallo.
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📍 Where & When: Spain, with data spanning from 2018 to 2024.
💬 Key Quote: “Not a single reference in the entire article to the identity of the aggressors,” Elena Ramallo criticized, in reference to a report on the figures by El Español which avoided referencing the migrants’ contribution to the rape rise.
⚠️ Impact: Specialized police units are overwhelmed, and there is increasing public pressure on the government for a stronger response.
IN FULL:
Socialist-led Spain is grappling with a surge in sexual violence, as official statistics from the Ministry of the Interior reveal a record 5,206 rapes in 2024. This alarming figure marks nearly a threefold increase from the 1,878 cases reported in 2019, with an average of 14 rapes occurring daily across the nation. The upward trend has persisted since 2018, briefly dipping only in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions on people’s movements.
Regions such as Catalonia and Andalusia and the capital of Madrid report the highest numbers, though all areas of Spain have seen increases. Disturbingly, cases involving minors, assaults linked to nightlife, and group attacks are also on the rise. This figures translate to a woman being raped approximately every hour and 45 minutes.
In Catalonia, a significant proportion of those convicted of rape are foreigners, comprising 91 percent of offenders, despite immigrants making up only 17 percent of the population. When considering both sexual assault and rape, 64.2 percent of inmates are foreign nationals. This demographic detail has sparked debate, with campaigners like Elena Ramallo criticizing media reports for not addressing the identity of aggressors.
The rapid increase in sexual violence has stretched the resources of specialized police units, such as the Family and Women’s Care Units (UFAM) of the National Police and the Women-Minor Teams (EMUME) of the Civil Guard. These units report being understaffed and overworked, handling a significantly higher workload than a decade ago without adequate support.
Government officials claim the rise is partly due to more women coming forward, avoiding the role of mass migration in the upward trend. Spain received more asylum claims than any other European Union (EU) member state bar Germany in 2024, although Germany is roughly 60 percent larger than Spain by population. Venezuelans are the leading nationality among Spanish claimants.
Notably, Germany also suffers from an extremely high migrant crime rate.
❓What Happened: Protests erupted in China after factory closures linked to President Donald J. Trump’s 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods.
👥 Who’s Involved: Chinese factory and construction workers, President Trump, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and China’s Commerce Ministry.
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📍 Where & When: Protests took place in Suining, Sichuan province, Hunan province, and Inner Mongolia, with workers complaining they have not been paid since the beginning of the year.
💬 Key Quote: President Trump has stated he will “lower” the tariff on China “at some point,” but for now the trade duties will remain in effect.
⚠️ Impact: The tariff has put approximately 16 million Chinese jobs at risk, leading to significant unrest among Chinese workers.
IN FULL:
Protests have erupted across China following the shutdown of several factories, a consequence of President Donald J. Trump’s 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The unrest has seen workers in various regions of China, including Suining in Sichuan province, Hunan province, and Inner Mongolia, take to the streets demanding unpaid wages and benefits.
The turmoil began when factory workers at an electronics plant in Suining protested over not receiving their pay. Similarly, hundreds of employees at Guangxin Sports Goods in Hunan province went on strike after the factory closed without settling wages or Social Security benefits. In Inner Mongolia, construction workers resorted to threatening suicide over unpaid dues, highlighting the severe financial strain faced by many.
The Chinese manufacturing sector is feeling the pinch as the government grapples with President Trump’s tariffs, which are intended to rebalance global trade in favor of American workers who have been undercut by China’s comparatively low pay and underhanded tactics such as currency manipulation. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index reveals that new export orders in China have plummeted to their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, with manufacturing job numbers similarly declining to levels not seen since February 2024.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics attributes the downturn to “sharp changes in the external environment.” An estimated 16 million jobs across various Chinese industries are now at risk due to the tariffs.
In response, China has made moves to alleviate the economic strain by exempting approximately $40 billion worth of U.S. imports from its own 125 percent retaliatory tariffs. Despite ongoing behind-the-scenes discussions, formal trade negotiations between the U.S. and China have yet to materialize. President Trump, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, has expressed a willingness to “lower” the tariffs eventually, noting that China is eager to continue business.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has remarked that the trade war is “not sustainable on the Chinese side,” suggesting that the Chinese economy is already experiencing significant slowdowns. Meanwhile, companies are investing substantially in making products in America, so they will not be subject to import duties.
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By Popular Demand.
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❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump announced a plan to impose tariffs on foreign-produced films, which the Teamsters Union is backing.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, Lindsay Dougherty.
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📍 Where & When: The announcement was made recently, with the Teamsters responding shortly after.
💬 Key Quote: “We thank President Trump for boldly supporting good union jobs when others have turned their heads,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien and Motion Picture Division Leader Lindsay Dougherty in a statement.
⚠️ Impact: The move aims to curb outsourcing in the film industry and has received positive feedback from a historically Democrat-aligned union.
IN FULL:
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has strongly supported President Donald J. Trump‘s initiative to impose tariffs on films produced overseas, describing it as a “strong step” toward addressing the outsourcing of American jobs in the film industry. This endorsement came swiftly after Trump announced a proposed 100 percent tariff on foreign-produced movies entering the U.S.
In a joint statement, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien and Motion Picture Division Leader Lindsay Dougherty commended the initiative, highlighting the detrimental impact of outsourcing on American workers. “For years, Hollywood studios have hollowed out the industry by following Corporate America’s crooked playbook of outsourcing good union jobs. Studios chase cheap production costs overseas while gutting the American workforce that built the film and TV industry,” O’Brien and Dougherty wrote. “These gigantic corporations line their pockets by recklessly cutting corners, abandoning American crews, and exploiting tax loopholes abroad. While these companies get rich fleeing to other countries and gaming the system, our members have gotten screwed over.”
“We thank President Trump for boldly supporting good union jobs when others have turned their heads. This is a strong step toward finally reining in the studios’ un-American addiction to outsourcing our members’ work,” O’Brien and Dougherty added.
During the 2024 presidential race, Trump received the backing of an overwhelming number of Teamster households. The union itself declined to endorse either candidate, although this was widely interpreted as a snub to the Democratic ticket rather than the Republican ticket.
Earlier this year, Trump appointed veteran actors Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight to spearhead efforts to revitalize Hollywood, aiming to make it “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, founded in 1903, represents 1.3 million workers across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, and has long been vocal about the need to protect domestic jobs in the face of increasing globalization and outsourcing.
❓What Happened: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) indicated that the deadline he has set to pass President Donald J. Trump’s domestic spending bill through the reconciliation process might be missed.
👥 Who’s Involved: House Speaker Mike Johnson, President Trump, and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
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📍 Where & When: U.S. House of Representatives, with comments made late on Monday, May 5.
💬 Key Quote: Johnson stated the bill would be passed “shortly thereafter” if not by May 31.
⚠️ Impact: The budget reconciliation bill includes provisions making permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts, new reductions in taxation, increased defense spending, and enhanced border security.
IN FULL:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has announced a potential delay in the passage of President Donald J. Trump‘s domestic spending bill, initially slated for Memorial Day. Following a recent meeting with President Trump, Johnson acknowledged that the timeline for chamber committees to finalize their sections of the bill has been extended, with final passage potentially slipping into June.
The proposed budget includes significant measures such as tax reductions, a boost in defense expenditures, and heightened border security efforts. These elements reflect key priorities often emphasized by Republican leadership and align with President Trump’s policy objectives.
Johnson communicated that if the comprehensive bill is not approved by the initially set deadline of May 31, it will be finalized “shortly thereafter.” Currently, the primary hurdle facing the legislation is a breakdown in negotiations over the state and local tax deduction (SALT deduction). This has pitted Republican lawmakers in blue states against their colleagues. Notably, SALT was capped in the 2017 tax cut bill, which effectively increased taxes on residents in states with high state income taxes like New York. While House leadership has tried to put a positive spin on the SALT negotiations, it is widely known on Capitol Hill that the talks have made almost no significant progress, with some lawmakers suggesting they’ve broken down entirely.
If House negotiators are unable to reach a deal on the SALT caps and the reconciliation bill fails to move, Americans could face a significant tax increase as key provisions in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) law sunset. This is adding an extra sense of urgency on Capitol Hill—especially among Republicans who realize they are unlikely to receive any help from Congressional Democrats.
The National Pulse reported last week that President Trump appears to be shifting away from foreign policy and refocusing his White House on the reconciliation bill and other domestic priorities. At a rally in Michigan last Tuesday, Trump turned up the pressure on Congress to adopt the reconciliation measure, promising: “In the coming weeks and months, we will pass the largest tax cuts in American History—and that will include No Tax on Tips, NO Tax on Social Security, and No Tax on Overtime. It’s called the one big beautiful bill.”
❓ What Happened: Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) told CNN he will not support Ed Martin’s nomination as the next U.S. Attorney for D.C., potentially derailing the America First law officer’s confirmation.
👥 Who’s Involved: Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ed Martin, President Donald J. Trump, Judge James Boasberg.
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📍 Where & When: Reported by CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent, Manu Raju, on May 6, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: Should the Senate reject Martin’s nomination, then “…the district court for such district may appoint a United States attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled. The order of appointment by the court shall be filed with the clerk of the court.” — 28 U.S. Code § 546
⚠️ Impact: Tillis’s opposition could block Martin’s nomination, paving the way for radical leftist Judge James Boasberg to take over the selection process and undermine President Donald J. Trump’s push for conservative law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
IN FULL:
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) says he will not support U.S. Attorney Ed Martin for the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Cites. Tillis’s opposition could derail Martin’s confirmation as the top attorney for D.C.—potentially paving the way for radical leftist District Court Judge James Boasberg to appoint his own choice for U.S. Attorney.
At the heart of the problem is a group of Republican-in-name-only (RINO) senators, including Tillis, who have joined with Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) in opposing Martin’s nomination. The Republican support has allowed Schiff, who is accused by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General of having actively leaked classified materials to the media to push the Russia hoax narrative against President Donald J. Trump, to sustain a hold on Martin’s permanent appointment. Most troubling, however, is that if the Martin nomination fails, an obscure provision in the U.S. Code would allow the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, led by Chief Judge James Boasberg, to step in and appoint its own choice for U.S. Attorney.
Under the vacancies clause found in 28 U.S. Code § 546, if a temporary appointment expires after 120 days, the current situation faced by Martin, “…the district court for such district may appoint a United States attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled. The order of appointment by the court shall be filed with the clerk of the court.” This means the left-leaning District Court, led by Trump opponent Boasberg, could step in and appoint Martin’s successor.
Notably, in recent months, Boasberg has worked to vastly expand the judiciary’s power over the executive branch, essentially dictating immigration and foreign policy to the Trump White House.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering free flights and a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who voluntarily leave the U.S. — a self-deportation program the agency says costs far less than traditional deportation.
The details: The program requires illegal aliens to register for self-deportation through the CBP Home App, and they only receive their stipend once it is verified that they have returned to their home country.
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President Trump told the press: “We’re gonna get them a beautiful flight back to where they came from.”
Cost savings: DHS says it currently costs the American taxpayer over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and deport a single illegal alien. Under this new, self-deportation program, it costs around $4,500—a 70 percent savings.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller added on X: “The savings are as much as $1 million per illegal alien family given the long-term costs of free welfare and public support.”
What the left is saying: Pro-illegal groups are denouncing the plan and urging illegals to reject the offer. One activist, Aaron Reichlin, said: “This option might be WORSE… it would abandon clear options for staying.”
Zoom out: The plan is reminiscent of Trump’s effort to reduce the federal workforce by offering buyouts to government workers who voluntarily resigned, ultimately leading to 77,000 resignations. Pay a little up-front for long-term savings.
The last word goes to President Trump, who warned that those who do not take this offer “are going to be taken out of our country… And they will never get a path to come back in.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering free flights and a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who voluntarily leave the U.S. — a self-deportation program the agency says costs far less than traditional deportation.
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By Popular Demand.
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❓What Happened: Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, initiating the process to elect a new pope. This week, the College of Cardinals will meet for a conclave to elect the next successor of Saint Peter.
👥 Who’s Involved: 133 cardinal electors under the age of 80 will participate in the conclave to choose the next pope.
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📍 Where & When: The conclave begins on May 7, 2025, at the Vatican.
💬 Key Quote: “Every papal conclave comes down, in some sense, to a referendum on the papacy that has just ended,” said John Allen, editor of Crux.
⚠️ Impact: The election could either continue Pope Francis’s legacy or shift towards a more traditional, conservative direction.
IN FULL:
The Catholic Church is set to elect a new pope following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. The conclave, consisting of 133 cardinal electors under the age of 80, will commence on May 7 at the Vatican to choose the next leader of the global Catholic community and successor to Saint Peter.
John Allen, a seasoned Vatican observer and editor of the Catholic news site Crux, remarked on the significance of this election, noting that each papal conclave reflects on the preceding papacy. “Every papal conclave comes down, in some sense, to a referendum on the papacy that has just ended,” Allen said in a recent mediainterview.
Among the potential successors to the late Pope Francis is Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Archbishop of Budapest, known for his conservative views and balanced approach to immigration. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa, recognized for advocating social justice and orthodoxy, is also a contender. Cardinal Mario Grech from Malta, influential in synod operations, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, are also in the running, with Parolin noted for his diplomatic acumen.
Other notable candidates include Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the first Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to be raised to the cardinalate and who has been active in interfaith dialogue, criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza, and social justice; and Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines, often referred to as the “Asian Francis” for his alignment with Pope Francis’ values. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi from Italy and Sweden’s Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm—a convert to Catholicism from Lutheranism—are also considered potential successors, each bringing unique perspectives to the role.
In addition to Cardinal Ambongo, another African prelate, Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, is believed to be a dark horse contender should the conclave swing in a more traditionalist direction.
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