With the passing of Pope Francis at age 88, the attention of the global Catholic Church now turns to the Vatican, where the process to elect his successor is set to begin.
Among those who will help choose the next pope is Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong—the only representative from the city eligible to cast a vote.
Stephen Chow, 65, serves as the ninth bishop of the Hong Kong Diocese. Appointed by Pope Francis in 2021 and elevated to cardinal in July 2023, he joins a select group of under-80 cardinals from around the world who will gather for the papal conclave. According to Church rules, only cardinals below the age of 80 are permitted to vote in the secretive election process.
Chow is one of three living cardinals from Hong Kong. The other two—retired bishops Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun and John Tong Hon—have both crossed the age threshold and are no longer eligible to participate in the conclave. This places the responsibility solely on Chow to represent Hong Kong and, more broadly, the Chinese Catholic community during the vote.
His elevation marked the fourth time a Hong Kong bishop has been made cardinal, continuing a pattern that began with the late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung. Wu served the diocese until his death in 2002 and was followed by Zen and Tong, both of whom were also named cardinals during their tenure.
Cardinal electors from around the globe will soon travel to the Vatican, where they will enter the Sistine Chapel for the conclave—a closed-door process steeped in tradition. To be elected pope, a candidate must receive at least two-thirds of the votes, plus one. While the new pope is usually selected from among the cardinals, Church law does not require it. The only formal requirement is that the candidate be a baptized male Catholic.
There are currently 252 living cardinals, and more than 100 of them are eligible to vote. Among the names being discussed as possible successors to Francis are Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, who has served as the pope’s special envoy on peace efforts.
The conclave will be watched closely by Catholics worldwide, especially those in regions where the Church is expanding or faces complex challenges, such as China. Relations between the Vatican and Beijing have long been delicate, and Pope Francis made efforts during his papacy to engage with Chinese Catholics. In one notable moment during a 2023 mass in Mongolia, he stood alongside both Cardinal Tong and Cardinal Chow, offering a special blessing to “the noble people of China.”
As Hong Kong’s sole voting cardinal, Stephen Chow carries a significant role in this pivotal moment for the Church. His presence in the conclave symbolizes not just the continuation of Hong Kong’s influence in the Vatican but also the growing importance of Asian voices in the future of Catholic leadership.