Africa, Asia, or perhaps North America – following the death of Pope Francis, online discussions have reignited around where the next Bishop of Rome might come from. Although the conclave, during which 135 cardinals will elect the new pope, is still several days away, the internet has already become a marketplace of names. Among Poles, one cardinal in particular has sparked curiosity – the so-called “Wojtyła of Asia.”
Polish internet users are especially interested in cardinals who have visited Poland. Among them are Cardinal Robert Sarah from Guinea and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines.
It is the latter who has been dubbed the “Wojtyła of Asia.” According to Google search statistics, he is the most frequently searched cardinal by Polish users.
BREAKING: Luis Antonio Tagle overtakes Pietro Parolin as the likely successor to Pope Francis.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 21, 2025
If elected, Cardinal Tagle would be the first Filipino Pope in history.
“He is one of the most recognizable figures in the contemporary Church – a Filipino clergyman born in Manila, who has served since 2022 as Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican. Tagle holds a doctorate in theology, is the former Bishop of Imus, Archbishop of Manila, and Primate of the Philippines. From 2015 to 2022, he chaired Caritas Internationalis and also served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,” wrote the portal cyfrowa.rp.pl.
He has also been described as the only clergyman capable of making Pope Benedict XVI laugh. He is among the most popular cardinals on Facebook.
In his charismatic sermons, he frequently speaks about people on the margins of society. Between 2015 and 2022, he led Caritas International. Vatican observers see him as a bridge between traditionalist and progressive factions within the Church. He is widely regarded as a reformer.
He is seen as the face of the emerging Catholic community in Asia. Due to his popularity, he is considered papabile – a potential future pope. Others on this list include Pietro Parolin, Matteo Zuppi, Claudio Gugerotti, Fernando Filoni, Robert Francis Prevost, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, as well as candidates from Hungary (Péter Erdő), Sweden (Anders Arborelius), the Netherlands (Willem Eijk), France (Jean-Marc Aveline), Sri Lanka (Malcolm Ranjith), and Myanmar (Charles Bo).
The Media Don’t Decide
In his book Conclave: The Secrets of Papal Elections, published in March this year, Fr. Przemysław Śliwiński delves into the media speculation surrounding possible future popes. He notes that an analysis of media coverage shows that the conclave very rarely elects the media’s favorite. Historian Ambrogio Piazzoni calculated that this has only happened in about 4 percent of cases.