Singapore's William Goh Among 133 Cardinals Gathered in Rome to Choose New Pope

Cardinal William Goh is one of 133 cardinals from about 70 countries—and the first Singaporean—choosing the new pope in the papal election that began on May 7 at the Vatican.

- Theresa Tan

The 67-year-old head of the Catholic Church in Singapore also has a shot at becoming the next pope, like the other cardinals gathered in Rome to pick the leader for the 1.4 billion Catholics globally.

Cardinals are second in rank only to the pope in the Church's hierarchy.

After the pope dies, all cardinals under the age of 80, who are known as cardinal electors, come together to choose the new pope. They typically choose someone from among their ranks.

Pope Francis, who died on April 21, elevated Cardinal Goh to a cardinal in 2022. Cardinal Goh is the first and only Singaporean to be appointed a cardinal so far, and he heads the 395,000-strong Catholic Church here.

One of six children of a housewife and a clerk, Cardinal Goh grew up in a zinc-roofed house in Hougang and later worked as a forex dealer before he answered the call of priesthood. He was ordained as a priest in 1985 at the age of 27.

Pope Francis died of a stroke at the age of 88. Born in Argentina, he became the first pope from Latin America when he was elected in 2013.

In September 2024, Pope Francis visited Singapore for the first time as part of his four-nation tour of Asia. He celebrated a papal mass on Sept 12 at the National Stadium with about 50,000 people in attendance.