MEXICO CITY – As cardinals rushed to the Vatican yesterday to begin the process of selecting a new pope, many back home were asking a pointed question: If most of the world’s Roman Catholics live in the developing world, why has every pope been European?

The possibility that the next pope could come from Latin America, Africa, or Asia is creating a buzz from Mexico City to Manila, from Tegucigalpa to Kinshasa. Many Latin-American Catholics said the only way to improve on a papacy they overwhelmingly supported would be to select someone from their own ranks.

Their hopes were fueled by the last papal conclave, in which a Polish archbishop became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, as well as by the global outreach John Paul II made the cornerstone of his papacy. They also have been boosted by sheer numbers: Half the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics live in Latin America alone, and the church is seeing explosive growth in Africa and Asia.

Even outside Roman Catholicism, leaders from the developing world see a chance for change.

“We hope that perhaps the cardinals, when they meet, will follow the first non-Italian pope by electing the first African pope,” Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said yesterday from Cape Town, South Africa.

Many Catholics in poor countries said a pope from their own regions would better understand the challenges they face, and would make the church more relevant in the lives of its increasingly diverse followers.

While several names from developing countries have been mentioned as candidates, it is unclear what kind of chance Third World religious leaders stand. Only 21 of the cardinals eligible to vote on the new pontiff are from South America, and only 11 from Africa, compared with 58 from Europe alone.

Church leaders insist the cardinals’ decision will not be based on a geographical calculation. The candidates, they say, will be judged by their faith and their ability to lead.

Some of the possible papal candidates from developing countries:

* Cardinal Francis Arinze, 72, Nigeria. Based at the Vatican, key figure arranging interfaith dialogue among Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. As archbishop in Nigeria, kept church strong amid challenge of civil war.

* Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, 68, Argentina. Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Praised for humility, is an advocate for the poor and conservative on doctrinal issues. Would be first Jesuit pontiff.

* Cardinal Claudio Hummes, 70, Brazil. Archbishop of Sao Paulo. Seen as progressive on social issues and conservative on doctrine.

* Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, 62, Mexico. Archbishop of Mexico City. Reputation as strict conservative in doctrine but outspoken against corruption, fraud, and poverty.

* Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, 62, Honduras. Multilingual, campaigned against corruption and foreign debt. Considered less rigidly conservative than other Latin Americans elevated by John Paul II.