2 h. ago Conclave live: Next Pope is ‘everybody’s guess’ before Cardinals gather for oath of secrecy and first vote

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis ahead of the secretive ballot

Politics

3 h. ago How long will the conclave last as ancient Vatican process begins today

Cardinals from all over the world will begin the process for electing a new pope today, May 7.

Politics

3 h. ago Conclave latest LIVE: Cardinals attend Mass at the Vatican before secretive papal election begins

Some 133 Cardinals begin their secretive conclave on Wednesday with a first round of voting due in the afternoon

Politics

3 h. ago Why the Vatican will cut the phone signal ahead of the secret Conclave vote

The Vatican has made sure that what happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel

Politics

4 h. ago Conclave latest LIVE: Cardinals attend final Mass at St Peter's Basilica before electing next pope

The conclave begins at the Vatican with mass attended by all voting cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica

Politics

4 h. ago Conclave begins at Vatican as secret voting for new Pope to get underway

Following a special mass in St Peter’s Basilica, the group will go into the Sistine Chapel where they will have no contact with the outside world until white smoke rises into the air.

Politics

4 h. ago The world waits for white smoke: Cardinals prepare for first vote on new Pope TODAY with prayers in the Vatican ahead of sealing themselves off from the outside world for secretive conclave

With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday begin the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis

Events

5 h. ago Conclave mystery as African cardinal claims he 'hasn't been invited' to join voting for new Pope

Cardinal John Njue, 79, is eligible to join the other 133 cardinals, from 70 countries, who are gathering for the start of the process which begins this afternoon in the Sistine Chapel.

Politics

5 h. ago The Latest: Catholic cardinals to sequester themselves in the Vatican for the start of the conclave

Catholic cardinals will sequester themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for the start of a conclave to elect the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, a successor to Pope Francis who died in April at the age of 88

Politics

6 h. ago Conclave live: First vote to decide the next Pope set to take place today

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis ahead of the secretive ballot

Politics

7 h. ago Conclave latest LIVE: Cardinals gather at the Vatican to elect successor to Pope Francis

The conclave begins at the Vatican with mass attended by all voting cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica at 9am BST

Politics

9 h. ago Conclave live: First vote to decide the next Pope to take place today

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis ahead of the secretive ballot

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Signal jammers’ to staff oaths: How the conclave will be kept secret

The Vatican has made sure that what happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel

Politics

32 h. ago What do Catholics around the world hope for from a new pope? Some wish for a version of Pope Francis

Among the roughly 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, many are keenly anticipating the upcoming conclave at the Vatican at which members of the College of Cardinals will elect a successor to Pope Francis

Politics

41 h. ago Vatican to cut phone signal during conclave to elect new pope

Transmission will be deactivated from 3pm on 7 May and restored after announcement of new pontiffThe Vatican has announced that it will cut the phone signal within the tiny city state during the conclave to elect a new pope – but this would not affect St Peter’s Square.The office of the presidency of the Governorate of the Vatican City State said that “all the transmission systems of the telecommunications signal for mobile telephones present in the territory of the Vatican City State will be deactivated” from 3pm on 7 May. Continue reading...

Politics

51 h. ago Ahead of the conclave, the Vatican staff is to be sworn to secrecy under threat of excommunication

All Vatican personnel involved in supporting the upcoming papal conclave will take an oath of secrecy — under penalty of automatic excommunication

Events

3 d. ago I worked in the Vatican for 18 years – this will be the most unpredictable conclave yet | Ariel Beramendi

Will the cardinals follow Francis’s path or return to a more conservative doctrine? The white smoke will tell us which faction has won Ariel Beramendi worked at the Vatican for 18 years as an official in the Dicastery for CommunicationAs the cardinals ready themselves to select the next pope, one thing is certain: this will be the most unpredictable conclave in the recent history of the Catholic church. I worked in the Vatican for 18 years, and on my return to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis last month, the tension and drama were already palpable.Some observers and former colleagues I spoke to believe this will be a particularly difficult conclave, given its size – 133 electors, as opposed to 117 last time – and the fact that many of the cardinals don’t know one another. This is down to Francis diversifying the college, appointing cardinals from all over the world: a full 108 of the current crop were his selections. Others suggest the electors will try to reach a decision in le...

Economics

4 d. ago Vatican workers install Sistine Chapel stove where ballots are burned during conclave to elect pope

Vatican workers have installed the simple stove in the Sistine Chapel where ballots will be burned during the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope

Economics

5 d. ago The Vatican prepares for Conclave: Sistine chapel undergoes 'radical transformation' as famous chimney is installed by firefighters ahead of mysterious election of new Pope

An insider said the Sistine Chapel would undergo a 'radical transformation' so that it would be ready for one of the most 'mysterious and solemn rituals of the Catholic Church'.

Politics

6 d. ago Cardinals thank Cardinal Becciu for ‘gesture’ of stepping back from conclave

Angelo Becciu is the once-powerful Italian cardinal who formally withdrew his participation in the conclave on Tuesday

Politics