These are some possible successor to the papacy:

OSCAR ANDRES RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA (70) of Honduras, a Salesian, was sometimes hailed as the rising star of the Latin American Church. The polyglot cleric speaks a and passable German due to his psychotherapy studies in Innsbruck, Austria. He is an avid musician and is also open to ecumenical questions.

JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO (76), is the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina and makes himself strong for the socially disadvantaged. Being a Jesuit, it is difficult to estimate whether this can be a disadvantage or advantage. Never in the history of the church was a Jesuit pope.

CHRISTOPH SCHÖNBORN (67): The Archbishop of Vienna has a reputation as a crisis manager after the scandals involving Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer and Bishop Kurt Krenn, but is also known for his conciliatory and pragmatic dialogue. After the resignation of Groer, who was involved in a child sex scandal in 1995, he became his successor. He made himself a name in the world as an editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. His liberal statements on homosexuality have caused some debates within the church.

Peter Erdö (60): The Hungarian is the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest since 2003. He is also Primate of the country. In 2006 he was appointed President of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences.

ANGELO SCOLA (71), Italian, Patriarch of Venice since 2002, is considered to be very upfront. The moral theologian and philosopher directs the Lateran University and the Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family Studies since 1995. He was admitted to the College of Cardinals in 2003.

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (64), from Ghana, Chairman of the National Episcopal Conference, Archbishop of Cape Coast. He belongs to several Vatican commissions, at home he advocats for development and environmental protection. His appointment as a Cardinal in 2003 was a complete surprise.

ANGELO BAGNASCO (70): Italian, Bagnasco is president of the Italian Episcopal Conference. The Archbishop of Genoa was confirmed as the head of the Italian episcopate for 5 more years in March 2012 by the Pope.

MARC OULLETT (69): The Canadian is the head of the Congregation for Bishops. Despite its good relations in the Curia, the strong secularization in his native Quebec region is working against him.

The complete list of candidates and of the electoral college can be found here: Pope Candidates