Black Smoke Rises—No Pope Yet: 2025 Conclave Continues and Eyes Turn to Healthcare Advocacy Frontrunners

As the College of Cardinals convened in the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 2025, to elect the 267th pope following Pope Francis’ death, the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics await a leader who will guide the Church through a rapidly evolving landscape of global health challenges. The papabile (“pope-able”) candidates, each with distinct visions for healthcare and biotechnology, stand at the forefront of this historic moment. Their advocacy—rooted in diverse experiences from diplomacy to grassroots service—could redefine the Vatican’s role in promoting health equity, navigating biotech ethics, and addressing disparities in a world where 4.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic health services and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to health costs, according to 2024 World Health Organization data.

From Vatican corridors to conflict zones, these frontrunners offer unique perspectives that promise to shape the Church’s mission in an era of medical innovation. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the 70-year-old Vatican Secretary of State, emerges as the betting favorite with a 37% chance of election, per Polymarket. A seasoned diplomat with postings in Nigeria, Mexico, and Venezuela, Parolin embodies Pope Francis’ commitment to equitable healthcare.

Parolin’s Diplomatic Push for Health Equity

In the past, Parolin has criticized “vaccine nationalism” during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for equitable distribution to underserved regions like Africa and Asia. His efforts have strengthened Vatican partnerships with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which delivered over a billion vaccine doses, including pneumococcal vaccines, to over 50 countries. If elected, Parolin could expand these collaborations, leveraging biotech firms to provide affordable therapies to the poor.

Yet, his role in the controversial 2018 Vatican-China agreement, renewed in 2024, draws scrutiny. Critics, including Hong Kong’s Cardinal Joseph Zen, argue it restricts Catholic healthcare networks in China, where state-appointed bishops control Church-run hospitals. Social stigma’s highlight Beijing’s recent appointment of two bishops, raising doubts about Parolin’s ability to safeguard Catholic healthcare autonomy. Moreover, his bureaucratic style and reported heart treatment in 2025, though unconfirmed, spark concerns about his pastoral charisma and physical stamina for the papacy.

Tagle’s Progressive Vision for Inclusive Care

Transitioning to a more charismatic contender, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the 67-year-old from the Philippines, brings a progressive flair dubbed the “Asian Francis.” As pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Tagle champions social justice and climate health, linking environmental degradation to diseases like pneumonia, which claims 700,000 children annually in Asia, per UNICEF. His grassroots initiatives in the Philippines, where 80% of the population is Catholic, include free clinics serving 500,000 slum residents yearly.

Tagle’s support for the Lazarus Project, a social media campaign promoting inclusion for LGBTQ+ individuals and divorced Catholics, signals his push for accessible Church-run healthcare. A Tagle papacy could spotlight Asia’s biotech hubs, like Singapore and South Korea, which lead in mRNA vaccines and precision medicine. In an interview, he endorsed ethical biotech to combat pandemics, urging benefits for the poor.

Challenges to Tagle’s Candidacy

However, his handling of clerical abuse cases in Manila, criticized by whistleblower priest Father Shay Cullen, clouds his record. Allegations of oversight failures could undermine trust in the Philippines’ Church-run hospitals, which provide a significant percentage of national healthcare. His progressive stances, including a synagogue visit to foster interfaith health initiatives, may also alienate conservative cardinals wary of diluting Catholic doctrine.

In contrast, Cardinal Peter Erdo, the 72-year-old Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, offers a conservative counterpoint. A canon law expert, Erdo prioritizes traditional ethics, potentially clashing with biotech advancements like gene editing or stem cell research. In the past, Erdo has been vocal in his ethical and moral stances, where he cautioned against “unrestrained biotechnological experimentation,” advocating strict Vatican oversight.

Erdo’s Conservative Approach to Healthcare

His healthcare advocacy centers on Catholic principles, urging Church-run hospitals to resist secular pressures like euthanasia, aligning with Hungary’s conservative policies. Erdo’s faith-based healing initiatives, such as pilgrimage sites offering psychological support to thousands of chronic illness patients annually, reflect his focus on spiritual care. Yet, his questionable comparison of refugee intake to human trafficking, echoing Hungary’s nationalist stance, suggests reluctance to champion global health initiatives for migrants, who face elevated disease risks.

An Erdo papacy might slow biotech partnerships in Catholic hospitals, which serve a vast proportion of Europe’s healthcare needs. His alignment with Hungary’s Viktor Orban risks politicizing health efforts, potentially limiting Vatican influence in forums like the WHO.

Zuppi’s Grassroots Mission for Inclusion

Shifting to a progressive voice, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the 69-year-old Archbishop of Bologna, embodies a “street priest” ethos rooted in inclusivity. A key figure in the Sant’Egidio community, Zuppi oversees mobile clinics serving migrants and homeless Italians annually, facilitating the welcoming of refugees into the country. His endorsement of Building a Bridge by Father James Martin advocated healthcare access for LGBTQ+ Catholics, and his 2023 approval of a same-sex couple’s church blessing in Bologna underscores his openness.

Zuppi’s peace missions to Ukraine and Gaza, appointed by Francis, highlight his commitment to healthcare in conflict zones, where Sant’Egidio distributes medical supplies to displaced persons yearly. He supports biotech solutions like telemedicine and low-cost diagnostics, praising AI-driven health tools. A Zuppi papacy could strengthen Vatican ties with biotech startups, prioritizing ethical innovations aligned with Francis’ Laudato Si’.

Pizzaballa’s Interfaith Healthcare Bridge

Moving to a Middle Eastern perspective, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the 60-year-old Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, brings interfaith expertise to the healthcare conversation. His negotiations secured access for Catholic clinics to serve thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, partnering with Muslim charities. Pizzaballa’s offer to exchange himself for child hostages during the 2023 Hamas attack reflects his humanitarian commitment, and his Church-run hospitals treat 100,000 patients annually, regardless of faith.

His interfaith dialogue could foster biotech collaboration in the Middle East, where Israel leads in AI diagnostics and Jordan hosts vaccine production. He has supported biotech for war-related health crises, like trauma care. However, his sparse comments on biotech ethics, such as gene therapy, leave his stance ambiguous, potentially concerning conservatives.

Turkson’s Climate-Driven Health Equity

Adding an African voice, Cardinal Peter Turkson, the 76-year-old from Ghana, ties climate health to equity. A key Laudato Si’ advisor, Turkson links deforestation to malaria and respiratory diseases. In 2023, the WHO African Region was home to 94% of malaria cases (246 million) and 95% (569 000) of malaria deaths. His tenure at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace secured Vatican funding for numerous African clinics, serving millions of patients annually.

His 2023 BBC interview opposing Ghana’s criminalization of homosexuality supports inclusive healthcare, a rare stance among African cardinals. Turkson endorses ethical gene-editing for food security, per a speech, and could prioritize African biotech hubs like Nigeria’s NASENI for low-cost diagnostics. Yet, his 2021 resignation from the Dicastery for Integral Human Development amid reported power struggles raises administrative concerns, and his earlier Islamophobic remarks, later apologized for, may hinder interfaith health partnerships.

Prevost’s Latin American Healthcare Roots

Finally, Cardinal Robert Prevost, the 69-year-old Chicago-born head of the Dicastery for Bishops with Peruvian citizenship, offers a Latin American perspective. His missionary work in Peru supported Church-run clinics serving hundreds of thousands of rural patients yearly, per a 2023 Vatican News report. Prevost’s commitment to synodality emphasizes listening to marginalized communities to improve healthcare access.

His support for telemedicine in Peru’s Andes, serving thousands of patients annually, suggests openness to biotech for the poor. However, his critique of “homosexual lifestyles” indicates conservative views that could limit inclusive policies, and unproven allegations of covering up abuse claims in Peru may undermine trust in his oversight of Church health systems. His American background and relative obscurity may face resistance, as cardinals historically avoid Anglosphere popes.

The Conclave’s Global Healthcare Mandate

As the 2025 conclave unfolds, with 133 electors from 71 nations reflecting the Church’s global diversity, the next pope will inherit Pope Francis’ legacy of health equity, shaped by 108 of his appointees. Whether Parolin’s diplomacy, Tagle’s inclusivity, Erdo’s conservatism, Zuppi’s grassroots mission, Pizzaballa’s interfaith bridge, Turkson’s climate focus, or Prevost’s Latin American ties prevail, the outcome will guide Vatican partnerships with biotech firms, ethical policies on AI and gene editing, and Church-run healthcare for 1.4 billion Catholics. In a world grappling with health disparities, the chosen pope’s healthcare advocacy will be a beacon—or a battleground—for the Church’s mission in the biotech age.

Cardinals gather for a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Wednesday, ahead of the conclave to elect a new pope. Image: Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Author

Bernice Lottering