The Sacred College Will Have to Wait to Elect a New Dean

The Sacred College has been waiting in vain since February 7, 2025 for the Pope to give the signal for the election of the new cardinal dean, a key position in the future interregnum and the preparation of the conclave.

The Dean of the Sacred College – which makes the cardinal elected by his peers a primum inter pares [first among equals] – does not exercise a purely symbolic function. When a pontificate ends, it is up to him to preside over the funeral of the deceased pope, to summon the cardinals for the next conclave, and to provide leadership so that the electors can make their choice.

If the cardinal dean is under 80 years old, he will preside over the vote in the Sistine Chapel and ask the elected official chosen by the cardinal electors if he agrees to receive the office of the sovereign pontificate. In other words, the Dean is the person placed in the spotlight during the vacancy of the Apostolic See.

Until January 19, 2025, the day his mandate expired, the office of Dean was occupied by Cardinal Giovanni-Battista Re. This mission falls to the very closed circle of “cardinal-bishops,” which is an honorary title. 13 senior prelates are part of this group and are potential electors of the Dean of the Sacred College whose term of office was set at five years by the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium of March 19, 2022. The current members are Cardinals Fernando Filoni, Pietro Parolin, Luis Antonio Tagle, Francis Arinze, Tarcisio Bertone, Marc Ouellet, Leonardo Sandro, Giovanni Battista Re, Jose Saraiva Martins, Beniamino Stella, Robert Francis Prevost, Louis-Raphaël Sako, and Boutros Béchard Raï.

Several names emerge from this list. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, is often in front of the cameras because of his diplomatic functions. He has the advantage of being known to most of the heads of state on the planet. If his colleagues elect him to the post of Dean, the Secretary of State would see his position strengthened in the Sacred College during a future conclave.

Two other names have been circulating: those of Cardinals Leonardo Sandri and Fernando Filoni. Both could count on the support of Cardinals Raï and Sako, but do not necessarily have the favor of the Sovereign Pontiff who, even if he does not formally participate in the vote, has a decisive influence.

The Pope does not want to decide immediately and give what could be interpreted as a strong signal for the future of the Church in respect to the next conclave. Thwarting the predictions of more than one Vaticanist, Pope Francis finally decided to extend the mandate of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.