Could Cardinal Timothy Dolan Be the Next Pope?
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, makes some lists of candidates to be the next Pope.
He would be the first American Pope if selected.
The next Pope is a mystery and will be chosen by a conclave of cardinals. There are many other candidates on lists to replace Pope Francis, and another cardinal, Luis Tagle, was initially leading betting markets after the Pope's death. However, later in the day on April 21, Pietro Parolin was leading the Polymarket. Dolan didn't make the list.
Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025.
The New York Post reported that Dolan "is among the top church officials up for consideration to replace the late Pope Francis."
Dolan is 75 years old and is "known for his charisma, conservative principles and staunch support of the Catholic Church’s teachings," The Post reported.
According to USA Today, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, who led the Archdiocese of St. Louis, are also mentioned as possible American Popes.
Dolan meets the requirements to be Pope.
According to AP, "Any baptized Catholic male is eligible, though only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to participate."
Dolan is a cardinal; he is under age 80 (although Popes can be older than that), and he is a baptized Catholic male.
The new Pope will be chosen by a conclave of cardinals, who vote in secrecy, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Timothy Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009. He had served as Archbishop of Milwaukee, appointed there by Pope Saint John Paul II on June 25, 2002," his bio explains.
"Cardinal Dolan served as chairman of Catholic Relief Services, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America," it notes. "Cardinal Dolan completed a three-year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in November, 2013."