13 h. ago The conclave to elect Pope Leo XIV was short, but it wasn’t the shortest ever

The two-day conclave stands in stark contrast to some past papal elections

Politics

16 h. ago PopeCrave, brat fancams and 7m views: how Gen Z went wild for the papal conclave

The whole world is hanging on the promise of white smoke billowing out of the Sistine Chapel, but no one seems to be quite as enraptured as Gen Z. Maddy Mussen finds out what’s fuelling the unexpected obsession

Politics

32 h. ago Outrage over CBS News star's seedy description of papal conclave that left co

CBS News' Tony Dokoupil - while reporting live from the Vatican Wednesday - said cardinals deciding the pope's successor will be 'raw-dogging' the process.

Politics

35 h. ago CBS News anchors slammed over ‘rawdogging’ comment about papal conclave

The anchors were discussing the rules of the conclave when the term was used

Politics

42 h. ago Conclave odds as favourite for new Pope revealed along with possible papal name

The bookies have released their favourite on who could emerge victorious from the Conclave, becoming the next head of the Catholic Church – and, odds have also been released on the name new pope might pick

Politics

45 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

45 h. ago How a new Pope is chosen as Papal Conclave to announce 267th head of Catholic church

Whoever is picked will become one of the world's most powerful figures, considered to be the successor of St Peter, the first apostle, and leader of 1.4 billion Catholics

Politics

3 d. 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

4 d. ago Catholic feminist writer calls for the creation of Lay Women Cardinals

Catholic feminist writer Debra Maria Flint has criticised the absence of women at the forthcoming Papal Conclave and called for the creation of lay women cardinals with voting rights at future synods.

Politics

4 d. ago Conclave author says papal election process is akin to The Traitors

The conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor will begin on 7 May

Politics

4 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

6 d. 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

8 d. ago These papal tailors aren't expecting a traditional order for new cassocks to outfit the next pope

Two papal tailors and no conclave orders

Politics

8 d. ago 'I'd like to be Pope': Donald Trump reveals desire to lead Catholic Church ahead of Vatican papal conclave

The spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will be elected from the College of Cardinals next week

Politics

9 d. ago Who Will Be The Next Pope? Here are the 13 leading contenders to be selected by the papal conclave

Cardinals will meet in the Vatican next week to start the process of electing a new Pope.

Politics

9 d. ago Who is Angelo Becciu? Disgraced cardinal withdraws from papal conclave

Once-powerful Vatican official Cardinal Angelo Becciu has formally withdrawn from participating in the conclave to elect a new pope

Politics

1 week ago ‘Maga Catholics’ are gaining ground in the US. Now their sight is set on the Vatican

Conservative US Catholics like Steve Bannon look to win ‘war that lasts decades’ with pope antithetical to FrancisOnce the papal conclave starts, the cardinals choosing Pope Francis’s successor will be strictly shut off from the world until a new pope is named. But the coming days before the conclave begins on May 7 will see competing factions of Catholics, including many laypeople, campaigning in the Vatican and the US to influence the church’s future – none with more urgency than those discontented with Francis’s liberal reign.American Catholics will fight to play a central role. Soon after the news of Francis’s death reached faithful the world over, the American counter-revolution mobilized, Vatican watchers say. Red-eyes to Rome were booked. Long-distance phone calls were made. Various cardinals likely received sudden dinner invitations. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago The Vatican closes the Sistine Chapel to the public and prepares for a papal conclave

The Vatican is closing the Sistine Chapel to the public as part of its preparations for the the conclave to elect the next pope after the death of Pope Francis

Politics

1 week ago Lobbying for next pope heats up with outcome less predictable than ever

Francis sought to lower age profile and broaden spread of college of cardinals and for most it is their first conclaveConservative and progressives will intensify efforts to shape the future of the Roman Catholic church in the coming days as 135 cardinals prepare to be sequestered in the Sistine Chapel in order to choose a successor to Pope Francis.The group of cardinals who will vote for the next leader of about 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide are less predictable than ever before, with the vast majority having no experience of a papal conclave. A much wider geographic spread of cardinals adds to the uncertainty. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on the coming papal conclave: Catholics at a crossroads | Editorial

Pope Francis’s progressive legacy rests in the hands of cardinal electors who will be juggling competing agendasIn keeping with the humble style of his papacy, Pope Francis did his best to dial down the pomp and ceremony that would mark his passing. In St Peter’s Basilica, where he now lies in state, Francis’s body rests in an unelaborate coffin and has not been placed on the traditional elevated bier. The tomb in which he will be buried is to be underground and unadorned, carrying only the plain inscription “Franciscus”, again on his instructions.The final grace notes of a remarkable papacy will add to the pathos of Saturday’s funeral, which hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend. The Argentinian pope’s plain, direct style endeared him to millions of non-Catholics as well as to the faithful. But the ecclesiastical politics of what happens next, in a divided church, will be anything but straightforward. Continue reading...

Politics