38 h. ago Ollie Pope smashes 169 off Zimbabwe to show England selectors his class

Only Test day 1: England 498-3 v ZimbabweDuckett and Crawley also hit centuries in one-off TestThere were shades of The Thick of It after Ben Stokes gave his press conference a day out from this one-off Test against Zimbabwe. When the minister – or in this instance the England captain – said Jacob Bethell would be straight back in for the series against India, this apparently referred to the squad and not necessarily the XI.That Stokes sought to make this clarification through the back channels perhaps said more about the task at hand than England’s true thoughts on the subject. No captain would ever wish to send a player out believing whatever they achieved would be irrelevant, not least a vice-captain and team-first character such as Ollie Pope. Continue reading...

Culture

1 week ago The new pope is the internet’s biggest meme. What does that say about us? | Tayo Bero

Social media has been fun for the first time in years. But the joy of this moment is about more than just jokesWhile most good Catholics spent the early days of this week in solemn contemplation, praying that the church’s new leader would be a person of character and someone who could unite us in these tense, ungodly times, the rest of us were on X cackling at our screens and reposting chimney memes.Social media has been having a field day since Pope Francis passed and the race was on for a new pope. And now that Pope Leo XIV from Chicago has been selected, the jokes have been top-tier – references to the TV show The Bear, videos of the new pope walking out to music by the Chicago legend Chief Keef, Spike Lee somehow making this a win for the New York Knicks – I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun in the hellish digital town square formerly known as Twitter.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago 'Judas' Pope Leo's brazen snub of America revealed by Peruvian President as he taunts Trump

'He chose to be one of us,' Peru's president said in a public address lauding the selection, after Pope Leo XIV spoke to the world in Latin, Italian and Spanish - but not his native English.

Politics

2 w. ago Weird secrets of Pope selection process from scanning for bugs to special window coating

Smoke signals isn't the only quirky, archaic thing about the voting process to select the new pope as we take you behind the scenes and unearth what they all mean

Politics

2 w. ago Watch how cardinals celebrated Pope Leo XIV being chosen in rare Conclave video

Rare footage from inside the Conclave to select the new Pope shows cardinals applauding Leo XIV as he left the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, 8 May.

Culture

2 w. ago Wild MAGA Pope theory resurfaces days before first US pontiff Leo XIV selected

Pope Leo XIV became the first-ever American to lead the Catholic Church but conspiracy theories abound over the sway that ultra-conservatives may have had on the election

Politics

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV sent 'peace offering' by JD Vance despite 'anti

US Vice President JD Vance has shown his support for the newly selected Pope Leo XIV, as Robert Prevost becomes the first US pope, despite his criticism of Vance and MAGA policies

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave: The key names and words to know as a new Pope is selected

The centuries-old transition process involves an intricate series of rituals

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave live: Cardinals vote again after black smoke signals no pope chosen on first day

The assembled cardinals vote up to four times a day, while crowds gather in St Peter’s Square to wait for the white smoke that signals the Conclave has selected a successor to Pope Francis

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave live: Cardinals to vote again after black smoke signals no pope chosen on first day

The assembled cardinals vote up to four times a day, while crowds gather in St Peter’s Square to wait for the white smoke that signals the Conclave has selected a successor to Pope Francis

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave: The key players and terms involved in selecting a new Pope

The centuries-old transition process involves an intricate series of rituals

Sport

2 w. ago Watch live view of Vatican chimney as conclave begins to elect new pope

Watch a live view of Vatican chimney on Thursday (8 May) as the conclave continue another round of discussions after failing to select the next pope on the first day of voting.

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave voting times and how to watch as cardinals select a new pope

The decision-making process could range from a few hours to several weeks

Politics

2 w. ago New Pope: Black or white smoke? What the colours mean as vote begins in the Vatican

And so it begins. The world's most secretive ceremony to select a new Pope is underway. Never will a chimney have so many eyes fixed upon it.

Events

2 w. ago New pope will face ‘complex moment in history’, senior cardinal says, before conclave to select Pope Francis’ successor – live

Cardinals set to meet behind closed doors of Sistine Chapel to decide who will become new popeCardinals to begin choosing new popePapal in-tray: new pontiff will have to hit ground runningHow does the conclave work?In his homily – seen as a guiding message for the 133 cardinals set to take part in the conclave – Battista Re called for the help of the Holy Spirit to guide cardinals in choosing the pope “that the church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history.”He urged them to “put aside all personal considerations” and demonstrate love, “the only force capable of changing the world.” Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago The Conclave is coming: British cardinals arrive for secret gathering to select the new Pope

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, 79, is one of three British cardinals who will be involved in electing the next Pope once the voting process begins this afternoon.

Politics

2 w. ago What Conclave the film gets right and wrong about the next Pope’s election

The film, which stars Ralph Fiennes, has enjoyed a surge in popularity since the death of Pope Francis

Politics

2 w. ago Welcome to the world's most secretive ceremony: Cardinals mobbed as they wave goodbye to the outside world ahead of being locked in Sistine Chapel to choose the next Pope in legendary Conclave

The conclave has been the tried and tested method to select the Pope since 1276 and will see 133 cardinal electors enter the Sistine Chapel for a private election process

Politics

2 w. 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

3 w. ago How is a new Pope chosen? Papal conclave rules, traditions, who votes, smoke, and how long will it take?

Here’s how the next Pope will be selected.

Politics