Cdl. Erdo was early leader in conclave before Leo elected to carry Pope Francis’ torch: new book

(LifeSiteNews) — A soon-to-be-published book recounts the inside story of how in last year’s papal conclave an early lead by Cardinal Péter Erdő morphed into support for Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was expected to carry the torch of Pope Francis.

“The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis,” pulls from the testimony of cardinals to give a play-by-play of the conclave and explain the motivations of the cardinals’ support, or lack thereof, of the leading candidates.

It is notable that the husband-wife author team consisting of Gerard O’Connell, Vatican correspondent for the heterodox Catholic magazine America, and Elisabetta Piqué, a journalist for Argentina’s “La Nacion” newspaper and CNN contributor at the 2025 conclave, were “longtime friends of Pope Francis,” according to CNN’s reporting on the new book. Francis baptized two of the couple’s children while he was a bishop in Argentina and “later also married” them.

The main struggle of the conclave was fought over Pope Francis’ program for the Church, according to the authors. The initial mobilization of conclave cardinals for the more conservative Erdő, which was reportedly well-organized but lacking in broad support, represented a cohort who wished to alter Francis’ course for the Church. However, given that the great majority of voting cardinals were hand-picked by Francis himself, a successor in his own image appears to have been “predestined.”

The first ballot cast saw over 30 candidates receive votes, but only three garnered between 20 and 30 votes, according to O’Connell: Cardinals Erdő, Robert Prevost, and Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

Prevost, who had the clearest “endorsement” of Francis, rapidly picked up support over the next couple of ballots and was elected on the fourth with an overwhelming majority of 108 votes, O’Connell said. Parolin was the runner-up.

According to CNN, O’Connell and Piqué explained why favor fell away from Parolin and Cardinal Luis Tagle, an ally of Francis who also was considered a contender to succeed him.

Parolin was being promoted as a “moderate” who would resettle the Church after the turmoil of Francis’ years but was perceived as lacking contact with grassroots Catholic communities. Two events in particular were seen to hurt his chances, cardinals told the authors. 

The first was when one of Parolin’s supporters, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, took aim at a “major Francis reform” in a speech to cardinals, leaving a bad impression on cardinals, who largely rallied behind Francis’ program. This was worsened by a Mass offered by Parolin and largely attended by young people. He was reported to have shown a lack of “charisma” and “no connection” with the youth there.

Tagle, while charismatic, was considered a deficient administrator, according to the authors, and had suffered social media attacks that damaged his strength as a candidate.

Meanwhile, support grew for Cardinal Prevost, who was identified as the best qualified candidate to continue the trajectory of Francis, the authors wrote. Fellow cardinals appreciated his “humble, low-profile” demeanor and his international experience. He was also seen as “the least American of the Americans,” a plus for electors reluctant to choose an American to begin with.

Important to Prevost’s candidacy were his marks of closeness to Francis. “Clearly Pope Francis had his sights set on him,” Piqué wrote. 

Francis not only appointed Prevost bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, but elevated him to the important position of Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, in which he appointed bishops around the world — a strong indicator he shared Francis’ vision for the Church.

Prevost also had regular meetings with Francis when “surely the two men discussed Church leadership issues beyond the immediate topic at hand (upcoming bishop appointments),” Piqué noted. Others observed that Prevost joined Francis on his last two trips abroad.