When the white smoke arises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, the world will know that there is a new Pope. But behind that solemn and ritual act, there is an architecture of power that, although dressed in spirituality, is no stranger to the old global representation imbalances. Because although Catholicism is no longer an eminently European phenomenon, Europe continues to dominate, and with slack, the choice of Pedro’s successor.
Of the 133 cardinals who vote in the 2025 conclave, 52 – that is, 40%– They come from Europe. A number that is striking not only for its absolute weight, but because It no longer corresponds to the current Catholic demography. Today, 80% of Catholics in the world live outside of Europe, mainly in Latin America, Africa and Asia. However, these regions still have a decisive weight in the Pope’s choice, the leader of a church that is increasingly speaks with Latin American, African and Asian accent.
It is true that the Pope Francisco tried, during his pontificate, to correct part of that imbalance. Not surprisingly, he was the first non -European pontiff in more than a thousand years and promoted a more representative Cardinal College of the so -called Global South. Almost 90% of African, Asian and South American cardinals who today participate in the election were named by him. But that diversification, although significant, did not completely reverse European predominance: 77% of current European cardinals were also designated by Francisco.
The result is a conclave that, although it is more diverse than in other times, sIgue dragging an institutional structure tied to a past that does not represent the present. To put it clearly: Africa, where the Catholic population grows faster, has three times less voters than Europe. Latin America, which houses approximately 40% of Catholics in the world, is widely exceeded by the old European guard. And Asia, despite having a growing Catholic community, continues to be surreated.
This imbalance is explained, in part, by the historical weight of European Catholicism and an ecclesiastical infrastructure that is still concentrated in the old continent. Europe has more priests, more seminars and more logistic resources to form ecclesiastical paintings that can climb positions. It also maintains a symbolic power within the Vatican difficult to erode: 17 of the voters cardinals in this conclave are Italianand the Vatican apparatus continues to work under deeply Italian logic.
But this institutional weight does not reflect the vitality of contemporary Catholicism. In Europe, the number of Catholics is in decline. The statistical report of the Church itself recognized it in 2022: “Only in Europe there was a decrease” in the number of faithful. Belgium, France and Germany report alarming figures of apostasies, with thousands of people formally requesting being eliminated from the baptismal registry. Faith in the continent is, more and more, a cultural heritage rather than a living conviction.
In contrast, Africa lives a religious boom. Countries like Nigeria, Uganda or the Democratic Republic of Congo have expanding Catholic communitieswith committed young people, upward vocations and a religiosity that is both liturgical and community. The same can be said, with nuances, from Latin America, where although the evangelical boom represents a challenge, the Catholic identity is still central to millions.
Conclave imbalance is not only a numerical issue, but also political. The Pope’s choice does not happen in a vacuum: It is a deeply politicized eventwhere geographical balances, ideological tensions (between traditionalists and reformist) and national agendas intersect. State and ecclesiastical leaders press, promote and maneuver to influence. In that context, European over-representation acts as a conservative filter, which resists the changes and ensures that the helm continues to turn to known hands.
It is legitimate to ask, then, if this Global Church It can continue to be governed with Eurocentric logic. Can a Pope chosen by such a little representative Cardinals lead a flock whose realities are increasingly diverse and challenging? Isn’t it time for the Church to also reform its mechanisms of choice and representation?
Francisco took the first step, but did not reach the background. The next pontiff will have among its main challenges not only guide a fragmented church, but to rethink the institutional architecture that supports it. Because if faith expands south, but power is still anchored in the north, Risk is an increasingly disconnected church from their faithful. And that, in the long term, is more than a contradiction: it is an existential threat.
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