Vatican - The death of Pope Francis (†88) on Easter Monday has not only plunged billions of Catholics worldwide into deep mourning. The return of the head of the Church to the house of the Father also marks the beginning of the search for a successor.

No later than 20 days after the Argentinean's death, the cardinals from all over the world must convene in the Vatican for the conclave and elect a new pope until a two-thirds majority has been reached.

The potential candidates, known as "papabili", must not be over the age of 80, but otherwise there are few restrictions for the churchmen, which is why the conclave can drag on for weeks.

As history has taught us, it is difficult to say in advance who has the best chances. However, the"College of Cardinals Report" keeps a well-maintained list of papabili, and the first bookmakers and prediction markets have already set their odds.

We take a look at the favorites for you - and an outsider from Germany.

Pietro Parolin (70, Italy)

The Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State has worked under Francis since 2013, could lead the conclave and is currently probably the most powerful churchman in the city state - and therefore the first odds-on favorite.

The Italian is highly regarded for his international and interreligious peace policy, but his closeness to his predecessor could be his undoing if the cardinals have a new direction for the church in mind.

Matteo Zuppi (69, Italy)

The Archbishop of Bologna and President of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) is also respected for his political orientation. He was appointed by Francis as a special envoy for peace in Ukraine and is also very close to the lineage of the late pontiff.

After three foreign popes in a row, the two Italians should also have good chances simply because of their country of birth.

Luis Antonio Tagle (67, Philippines)

A pope from the Philippines would be an absolute novelty in the Catholic Church, but the pro-prefect for the evangelization of the world, known as "Chito", is currently considered the most promising foreign candidate. He entered the conclave as papabili back in 2013 and, at the age of 55, was the second youngest pope to be elected, before rising to become one of the most influential churchmen under Francis. Now his time could come.

Peter Erdö (72, Hungary)

In contrast to the other candidates, the President of the Council of the European Bishops' Conference would probably stand for a strict change of course. The Archbishop of Budapest is considered to be very conservative, representing above all traditional points of view - and is rather critical of Francis' progressive church route.

Gerhard Ludwig Müller (77, Germany)

The Mainz native studied philosophy and Catholic theology in his native city, was subsequently Bishop of Regensburg from 2002 to 2012 and has been a judge at the Apostolic Signature - the highest court of the Roman Church - since 2021. Although Müller is valued in the Vatican for his intelligence, German influence in St. Peter's Basilica has declined significantly since the departure of Benedict XVI, which is why the 77-year-old only has an outside chance at the moment.

However, these have often been enough in the past, whereas the favorite relatively rarely receives the necessary votes. This is why the saying goes: "Whoever goes into the conclave as pope comes out as a cardinal."