Who is Jean-Marc Aveline, the French cardinal now in the running to become the next Pope
The French cardinal, born in Algeria with Spanish roots, has emerged as a serious contender in the papal succession race.
The conclave starting this Wednesday promises to bring unpredictable and unfamiliar winds of change. During his time as pontiff, Pope Francis upended the Church’s traditional power structures by appointing lesser-known cardinals and shifting influence away from historically dominant dioceses toward bishops more connected to grassroots communities. In this new landscape, where the College of Cardinals is divided between conservatives and progressives, no clear favorite has emerged.
A candidate who is too conservative or too progressive is unlikely to succeed. Both camps are expected to coalesce around a compromise figure—someone who reflects their values but can also appeal to the other side. The upcoming conclave will include 133 cardinals from 71 countries (15 more than in the previous election), meaning the new pope will need at least 89 votes. That challenge, coupled with the global scale of this gathering, could make this one of the most prolonged—and most international—conclaves in Church history.
Despite the uncertainty, shortlists of viable candidates are beginning to take shape. Among those gaining momentum is Jean-Marc Aveline of France. Appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022, Aveline is seen as a close ally of the outgoing pontiff and brings two key strengths to the race: his commitment to interfaith dialogue and his strong advocacy for migrants and the marginalized.
Aveline, 66, currently serves as Archbishop of Marseille. Though born in Algeria, he has Spanish ancestry through family roots in Almería. He is considered part of the progressive camp aligned with Francis, pushing to reduce the Church’s Eurocentric focus and expressing openness toward civil rights issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and reform of certain Catholic traditions. His limited Italian fluency has been viewed as a possible weakness—though, according to Spanish newspaper El País, he recently addressed the general congregation in fluent Italian, quieting speculation on that front.
Aveline attended high school at Lycée Thiers in Marseille, and in 1977 entered the interdiocesan seminary of Avignon, where he completed his first cycle of theology. He later studied at the Séminaire des Carmes in Paris, earning a doctorate in theology from the Institut Catholique in 2000. He also holds degrees in philosophy from the Université Paris I and Paris IV Sorbonne.
“We must avoid naïve narratives that suggest welcoming without limits,” Aveline once said. “But we must also reject the criminalization of immigrants as the root of all problems—a tactic so often used for electoral gain. The Christian path is a third way: a prophetic path of closeness, identifying the common good and seeking harmony with the whole.”
Aveline has also spoken out strongly against drug trafficking in France, sparking headlines when he warned: “Drug trafficking networks now wield power greater than the Republic itself.”
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