Cardinal Sean O'Malley

All 115 cardinals will gather in the Vatican for the papal conclave this week and the list of possible candidates is long. Though any one of them could be the next pope, Vatican experts have identified a few potential favorites.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley's simple brown Franciscan robe and sandals make him a standout amongst the College of Cardinals, and his firm handling of the sex abuse crisis in Boston has won admiration in Vatican circles. Despite perceived wisdom that an American cannot be elected pope, O'Malley has developed a chorus of supporters for his simplicity, seen as an antidote to the complicated politics and power plays of Vatican governance, and for his practicality, such as selling off the cardinals' residence in Boston to pay victims of sex abuse.

In this photograph, a newly-appointed Cardinal O'Malley receives congratulations from his diocesan during the courtesy visits at the Regia Hall in Vatican city, March 24, 2006.

Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, receives the biretta cap from Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City, March 24, 2006.

Cardinal O'Malley (R) presides during funeral services for U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston, Aug. 29, 2009.

President Barack Obama talks with Cardinal O'Malley during funeral services for U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston, Mass., Aug. 29, 2009.

Cardinal O'Malley (2nd R) celebrates Noon Mass at The Chapel Pastoral Center in Braintree, Massachusetts, Feb. 22, 2013.

Archbishop Sean O'Malley speaks to the media on his return to Boston for the first time since Pope Benedict XVI's announcement that he was named as a member of the College of Cardinals at Logan International Airport in Boston, Mass., Feb. 24, 2006.

Cardinal O'Malley celebrates Noon Mass at The Chapel Pastoral Center in Braintree, Mass., Feb. 22, 2013.

Cardinal O'Malley listens during a press conference at the North American College in Rome, March 5, 2013.

Cardinal O'Malley (C) takes part in a prayer with other cardinals at St Peter's basilica, March 6, 2013.

Cardinal O'Malley celebrates Mass at The Chapel Pastoral Center in Braintree, Mass., Feb. 22, 2013.

Cardinal O'Malley receives the biretta cap from Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican, March 24, 2006.

Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, receives congratulations from his diocesan during the courtesy visits to the Regia Hall in Vatican City, March 24, 2006.

Cardinal O'Malley (R) listens to U.S. priest Andrew Small during a press conference in Havana, Aug. 18, 2009.

Cardinal O'Malley (R) and Cardinal Roger Mahoney arrive in St. Peter's Basilica to attend a vespers celebration at the Vatican, March 6, 2013.

Cardinal O'Malley holds a candle as he leads a procession during an Easter Eve service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, April 15, 2006.