ISLAMABAD: Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday at age 88, attention now turns to the looming papal conclave — and Cardinal Raymond Burke, a staunch conservative from the United States, has emerged as one of the more controversial figures in the conversation.
The 76-year-old Wisconsin-born cleric is well known for his traditionalist views and his longstanding clashes with the late pontiff over the Church’s direction. While he is currently ranked sixth among potential successors by bookmakers, Burke’s profile has risen sharply thanks to public endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, now in his second term, who lauded him as a steadfast defender of Catholic orthodoxy.
Burke’s ecclesiastical career has been marked by both high-ranking appointments and dramatic sidelining. After serving as Archbishop of St. Louis, he was summoned to Rome by Pope Benedict XVI and appointed prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest court. But under Pope Francis, Burke’s influence waned. He was removed from the powerful Congregation of Bishops in 2013 and dismissed from his tribunal role a year later, following repeated criticisms of the Vatican’s more inclusive tone on issues such as LGBTQ rights, divorced Catholics, and pastoral outreach.
In 2023, the Vatican revoked Burke’s rent-free Vatican apartment and monthly stipend — a move officially described as a reassignment of privileges rather than a disciplinary action. Despite these tensions, Burke has insisted he never viewed Pope Francis as an adversary.
With 138 cardinal-electors under the age of 80 expected to gather in secrecy to elect the next pope, Burke’s candidacy is being weighed alongside a range of others, including more moderate or progressive figures such as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, and fellow conservative Cardinal Péter Erdő.
As the Church prepares for a pivotal transition, Burke’s candidacy has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over whether the next pontiff will continue Pope Francis’s reformist legacy or steer the Church back toward a more traditionalist path.
