Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, the Vatican confirmed on Monday. He became the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, making history as the first Latin American pope. Recently, he had been battling serious health issues, including double pneumonia.

Now that the seat of the Pope is vacant, attention turns to who might take his place. Here are 8 Cardinals who are among the top choices to succeed him:

1. Peter Turkson, 76 (Ghana)
Turkson was once the Bishop of Cape Coast and could become the first black Pope. He is known for promoting peace and was sent by Pope Francis to South Sudan as a peace envoy.

2. Luis Antonio Tagle, 67 (Philippines)
Tagle is considered a top contender. He is known for being liberal and open-minded, which makes him popular with those who supported Pope Francis’s direction.

3. Pietro Parolin, 70 (Italy)
Parolin has worked closely with Pope Francis and is seen as a moderate. However, some people were not happy with his diplomatic efforts with China.

4. Peter Erdo, 72 (Hungary)
Erdo is a strong conservative voice in the Church. He has taken a firm stand against allowing divorced or remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

5. Jose Tolentino, 59 (Portugal)
He is the youngest among the top candidates. Tolentino encourages connecting faith with modern culture through things like movies and music.

6. Matteo Zuppi, 69 (Italy)
Zuppi has been the Archbishop of Bologna since 2015. He was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis and later made the Vatican’s peace envoy for Ukraine.

7. Mario Grech, 68 (Malta)
Grech has helped push Pope Francis’s vision of a more welcoming and inclusive Church. He currently serves as Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.

8. Robert Sarah, 79 (Guinea)
Sarah is a conservative Cardinal and another possible first black Pope. He is known for his strong opinions against gender ideology and Islamic extremism.

As the Catholic Church prepares to choose a new leader, these Cardinals stand out as the most likely successors to Pope Francis.