The Ideological Battle Reaches the Vatican After Pope Francis's Death

The Death of Pope Francis Opens the Succession Process, Which Will Be Decided in a Conclave With 138 Prelates in the Next 20 Days. The Cardinals of the Papal Conclave Will Vote in Secret Until the Election of the New Pope, by a Qualified Majority of at Least Two-Thirds. The Election, Given the Current Geostrategic Situation, Will Have a Profound Political Significance This Time. 

Hours After His Death, All Analyses Agree in Pointing to Pope Francis as the Pontiff of the End of an Era. His Death Occurs Amid a Global Paradigm Shift. The Election of the New Pope Will Be Immersed in an Intense Ideological Battle.

Ideological Battle in the Vatican

The Vatican Has Always Been a Source of Power, Another Piece on the Global Geostrategic Chessboard, and This Has Been Reflected in the Election of the Pontiffs. Few Like John Paul II, the Anti-Communist Pope, Had Such an Influential Role in the Political Events of His Time. It Was in Another Era of Change, Which Saw the Fall of the Soviet Union and the Birth of a New World Order at the End of the Last Century.

It Is Also No Coincidence That the Ultra-Conservative Pope Ratzinger Arrived at the Vatican in 2005, at the Height of George Bush's Presidency in the United States. Ratzinger Carried Out a Conservative Ideological Retreat in the Holy See, Coinciding With an Era of Clash of Civilizations. Nor Is It Coincidence That Pope Francis, the Progressive Pope, Was Elected in 2013 During Barack Obama's Presidency.

The Death of Pope Francis Concludes a Legacy Marked by Austerity, Reformist Drive, and the Imposition of Social Doctrine. His Attempt to Bring the Church Closer to the Poor and Engage in Dialogue With Different Groups Generated as Much Admiration as It Did Misgivings. The Election of the New Pope Will Occur Just Three Months After Donald Trump's Return to the White House.

The Conservative Candidates

It Is Inevitable That the Most Ultra-Conservative Sectors See the Vatican as the Crowning of the Ongoing Anti-Globalist Revolution. Pope Francis Clearly Distanced Himself From Donald Trump and Other Conservative Leaders Like Javier Milei and Naib Bukele. Now, Trumpism Dreams of Seating One of Its Candidates on the Holy Throne and Accelerating the Anti-Woke Agenda From There.

The Favorite Is Cardinal Müller, Representative of the Most Traditional Wing of the Catholic Church. He Has Been Critical of Globalism and the 2030 Agenda, Pointing to a Powerful Elite as Responsible for the Moral Degradation of Recent Times. 

Another Conservative Bet Is the Guinean Robert Sarah, Whom Many See as the New John Paul II for His Anti-Communism. Besides Having Great Popularity on Social Media, He Is Combative Against Abortion and Islamism.

Both Müller and Sarah Are Candidates to Break With Pope Francis's Legacy to Consolidate the Global Conservative Revolution. The Anti-Globalists Aspire for the New Pope to Mark a Change in Direction in Gender and LGTBI Ideology, Interfaith Dialogue, and Relations With Islamic Countries. They Want to Move From Cultural Relativism to Confrontation.

The Progressive Resistance

But the Breakaways Will Not Have It Easy Due to the Resistance of a Significant Core Loyal to Pope Francis's Legacy. Their Favorite for Succession Is the Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, One of Pope Francis's Closest Collaborators. He Shares With Him His Sensitivity Toward the Poor and the Marginalized and Is Open to Issues Like Homosexuality.

Although the Most Left-Leaning Cardinal Is the Italian Matteo Zuppi. He Supports Attracting Homosexuals, Divorced People, and Muslims to the Catholic Church and Advocates for Immigrants' Rights. He Has Shown His Opposition to Matteo Salvini and His Support for Socialist and Far-Left Movements.

A Solomonic and Not Unreasonable Solution Would Be to Invest Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Cardinal of Jerusalem. Not Only Because of the Geostrategic Importance of the Middle East in the Current Situation. Also Because He Combines Orthodox Orientation With Ideological Openness.

Pizzaballa Has a Traditional View of Liturgy and Ecclesiastical Organization and Was Very Critical of the Hamas Terrorist Organization. But He Is Also Sensitive to Issues Like Immigration and Environmentalism. An Equidistant Option That a Conclave Could Opt for, Which This Time Appears More Divided Than Ever.