2 w. ago Who is Pope Leo XIV? Everything we know about Robert Prevost the new pope

The conclave decided to elect American Robert Prevost as Pope Francis' successor on Thursday

Politics

2 w. ago Conclave live: Catholic cardinals from around the world gather to elect new pope

Cardinals meet behind closed doors of Sistine Chapel to decide who should succeed Pope FrancisCardinals to begin choosing new popePapal in-tray: new pontiff will have to hit ground runningHow does the conclave work?You can follow the mass live here:And you can follow the texts here. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago What is a conclave? What to know about the secretive process to elect the next pope

Cardinals have decided the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will begin May 7

Politics

3 w. ago Conclave to choose new Pope to start on 7 May, Vatican confirms – Europe live

Process to decide on successor to Pope Francis will begin next weekWe are just getting a line from Reuters news agency saying that the Conclave to elect new pope will start on 7 May, according to its source.We have not independently verified this report. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago MATTHEW YOUNG: 'I queued for first look at Pope Francis' tomb

The Vatican estimates that 30,000 people have already visited the late Pope in his Santa Maria Maggiore resting place since he was laid there on Saturday afternoon

Politics

3 w. ago Inside the Pope's small and humble bedroom with just a few pieces of furniture and a wooden crucifix on the wall

Pope Francis, who was laid to rest on Saturday, decided to remain in Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse next to St Peter's Basilica, rather than move to the Apostolic Palace.

Politics

3 w. ago First photos of Pope Francis' tomb show it is adorned with a single white rose and simple inscription

The Vatican has released the first images of the Pope's tomb at the Santa Maria Maggiore church in Rome after he was laid to rest on Saturday.

Culture

3 w. ago Thousands queue to visit Pope Francis’s tomb on day after funeral

Mourners express sadness and gratitude, while special mass in St Peter’s Square attracts 200,000 peopleThousands of people queued to visit Pope Francis’s tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica the day after heads of state, royalty and hundreds of thousands of mourners attended his funeral in Rome.Many crossed themselves and took photos on their phones as they filed past the tomb, marked simply with the name Franciscus. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago British mourner, 43, and his mother, 73, are first to pay their respects to Pope Francis as pontiff laid in final resting place

Building boss Marcel Farcas, 43, was with his mum Elena, 73, and had arrived at 5.30am in order to beat the rush at Santa Maria Maggiore church.

Politics

3 w. ago Pope Francis' final resting place: Pontiff wanted to be 'in the earth' and with just a simple tombstone carrying his name in Latin

The Argentine pontiff, who died on Easter Monday, aged 88, wanted his grave to be within the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, four miles from the Vatican, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Politics

3 w. ago Pope Francis branded 'man of the people' as mourners spot Popemobile detail

Eagle-eyed viewers of Pope Francis' funeral noticed the vehicle that was transporting the grave from St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican to his final resting place at Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome

Politics

3 w. ago Pope Francis funeral: Touching note to be buried in coffin with pontiff revealed

Pope Francis has been entombed in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica with a sealed note following his funeral today - the note remembers him as 'one of the people'

Politics

3 w. ago Transgender mourners, prisoners and prostitutes greet Pope Francis' coffin at church where he is to be buried

A group of around 40 'poor and needy' Romans welcomed the pontiff's coffin at the steps of the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects before he was laid to rest on Saturday.

Events

4 w. ago As Pope Francis is laid to rest, is his legacy of a more compassionate Catholicism at risk? | Julian Coman

Some, especially within the US, see the conclave as an opportunity to establish a more conservative leaderFor Catholics who cherished Pope Francis’s relentless defence of the dignity of migrants and minorities, the footage of his deeply awkward meeting with JD Vance on Easter Sunday made for unsettling viewing. During his 12 years in St Peter’s chair, Francis railed against Christian complicity with “America first”-type nationalist movements across the west. Here, looming over him on what turned out to be the eve of his death, was the White House embodiment of the insular, bullying politics he spent so much energy fighting against.What now? The pope “from the ends of the earth” will be laid to rest on Saturday in an unadorned tomb in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, after a funeral attended by about 50 heads of state and 130 delegations from around the world. Progressives inside and outside the church will hope that encounter with the US vice-president was not an ominous porten...

Events

4 w. ago Pope Francis funeral: world leaders to join thousands of mourners for ceremony – latest updates

Funeral to begin at 10am local time in St Peter’s Square and will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista RePope Francis’s funeral will be held in St Peter’s Square in Rome at 10am local time. The outdoor service, which will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the college of cardinals, is expected to be attended by dignitaries from 170 foreign delegations, as well as tens of thousands of ordinary people wanting to pay their respects.Once the funeral mass has finished, Francis’s coffin will be taken, in procession, to Santa Maria Maggiore. The Vatican announced that people will be able to visit Francis’s tomb in the basilica from Sunday morning.On BBC One, newsreader Reeta Chakrabarti will present the broadcaster’s coverage, with a BBC News special beginning at 8.30am on Saturday and scheduled to continue until 12.30pm.Sky News presenter Anna Botting will host a live from Rome, with commentary from the former governor of Edinburgh Castle, Maj Gen Alastair Bruc...

Politics

4 w. ago Santa Maria Maggiore: why Pope Francis decided ‘this is my place’ to be buried

The pontiff shunned fanfare by picking a small niche in the basilica he visited more than 100 times during his papacyAs a priest, and then cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio would always call into Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, during his regular visits to the Italian capital.The fourth-century basilica with its distinctive bell tower is perched on one of Rome’s seven ancient hills in Esquilino, a neighbourhood that lies between the Colosseum and Termini train station which during the Roman empire served as a burial ground for slaves. Continue reading...

Politics