 In January 1531 , Campeggio was dismissed as cardinal protector , although it did not become public knowledge until May . At first it was unclear whether Henry VIII intended to appoint a successor , with Giovanni Domenico de Cupis emerging as an active candidate in March 1532 . The king favoured Alessandro Farnese ( future Pope Paul III ) , and instructed his ambassadors on 21 March to offer it to Farnese , and then de Cupis or Giovanni del Monte ( future Pope Julius III ) in the event that Farnese declined or was not approved . 
