pope

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Historic New Pope Is a Chicago Native

Robert Prevost is the first American elected to the position

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has its first-ever American pope. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected by his fellow cardinals on Thursday, reports the Guardian . Prevost, 69, is a native of Chicago who served for two decades in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop, per the AP and...

The Catholic Church Has a New Pope
The Catholic Church
Has a New Pope
May 8, 2025 11:18 AM CDT

The Catholic Church Has a New Pope

No name announced yet, but white smoke signals a successor to Francis

(Newser) - White smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church, per the AP . That means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The...

More Black Smoke: No Pope After 2 Votes

Cardinals will try again in a few hours

(Newser) - Black smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, meaning cardinals failed to pick a pope in their second round of voting, reports NBC News . They will try again at 11:30am Eastern.
  • No surprise: Modern popes are rarely selected in the first or second round, notes
...

One Cardinal's Essential Conclave Item: a Book

Cardinal Timothy Dolan explains there is a lot of quiet downtime

(Newser) - It could be hours—or days—before a group of 133 cardinals manages to select a pope, reports Fox News . Cardinal Timothy Dolan will be one of them, and has some straightforward advice for cardinals who haven't experienced a papal conclave before: pack a book. Dolan, speaking Tuesday,...

Conclave to Choose a New Pope Is About to Begin

Cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel at 10:15am

(Newser) - At 10:15am ET, Catholic cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel—and won't re-enter the world until there is a new pope, reports NBC News . The conclave to select the next pope following the death of Pope Francis in April at age 88 involves 133...

Trump Responds to Brouhaha Over Fake Pope Photo

Says he didn't post it, but maintains 'Catholics loved it' and media can't take a joke

(Newser) - President Trump is shrugging off criticism about a fake photo that emerged over the weekend depicting him as pope. The image surfaced on Trump's Truth Social account, then got further circulated by the White House itself.
  • "I had nothing to do with it," Trump told reporters Monday
...

The Conclave Stove Is Now in Place
The Conclave Stove
Is Now in Place
May 3, 2025 11:30 AM CDT

The Conclave Stove Is Now in Place

It's where ballots will be burned in Sistine Chapel during voting for new pope that starts Wednesday

(Newser) - 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, as jockeying continued over who among the cardinals is in the running. The Holy See released a video Saturday of the preparations for the May...

Trump's Late-Night Pic of Himself as Pope Riles Internet

One self-described Trump supporter called the AI-created image 'disrespectful and insulting'

(Newser) - Just days after Pope Francis died last month, Donald Trump riffed that he'd like to be the next leader of the Catholic Church. Now, as the Vatican is gearing up for the conclave starting Wednesday that will select a new pontiff, the US president is extending the joke, this...

Amid Scandal, Cardinal Becciu Bows Out of Papal Conclave

Convicted cardinal steps back after letters reportedly signed by Francis surface on eligibility

(Newser) - Once one of the most powerful voices in the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has stepped back from the Vatican's most secretive election after a recent criminal conviction. Becciu made his decision on Tuesday after being presented with two letters written by Pope Francis before his death that said...

The Conclave Is Set
The Conclave Is Set
Apr 28, 2025 8:09 AM CDT

The Conclave Is Set

Cardinals will sequester themselves on May 7 to pick a successor to Pope Francis

(Newser) - The start date is set to pick a new pope. How long it will take remains anyone's guess. Catholic cardinals said Monday that their conclave to select Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, reports the AP . The cardinals delayed the secret voting for two days to...

Francis Built 'a Poor Church for the Poor'

US Presidents Trump and Biden, heads of state, Catholic faithful honor pope at Vatican funeral

(Newser) - World leaders and Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral Saturday that highlighted his concern for the "most peripheral of the peripheries" and reflected his wishes as pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter's Square, prisoners and migrants were also set...

Turnout to View Pope Has Been Higher Than Expected

Vatican kept St. Peter's open all night

(Newser) - So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter's Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half on Thursday morning for cleaning....

After Pope's Death, Ralph Fiennes Flick Gets a Boost

Conclave , about the selection of a new pope, saw 283% streaming spike right after Francis died

(Newser) - As the world awaits the papal conclave that will replace the late Pope Francis with a new head of the Catholic Church, many are taking to their TV remotes to get an idea of how that process works—specifically, by watching the Oscar-winning movie Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes. NBC News...

Thousands Gather to Bid Farewell to Pope Francis

Francis' body was transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, to lie in state until Friday evening

(Newser) - Catholics and other mourners are queued up and streaming past the open casket holding Pope Francis to pay their final respects. The late pontiff, who died Monday at the age of 88, is now officially lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, where he'll remain...

Papal Conclave Could Deliver a 'History-Making Moment'

First modern pope from Asia or Africa is possible

(Newser) - Many names have been thrown about in discussions about the next pope, but a few frontrunners are emerging in the leadup to the papal conclave early next month.
  • Americans: USA Today names two American contenders: Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is a "fierce advocate
...

The Acting Pope Is an Irish-Born US Citizen

Cardinal Kevin Farrell is the acting head of the Vatican until a new pope is elected

(Newser) - Following Pope Francis' death Monday at age 88, the Vatican will have an acting head until a new pontiff is chosen during the conclave process. That acting head, or camerlengo, is Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and ultimately became a naturalized US citizen, NPR reports. Francis...

The Beloved Pope Francis Did Have 'Many Critics'

The progressive pontiff sometimes butted heads with conservative clergy

(Newser) - Pope Francis was being remembered as a beloved leader of the Catholic Church following his death Monday at age 88, but the pontiff was not without his critics over the years since he was elected pope in 2013. A look at some of them:
  • Conservative US Catholics: As the New
...

An American Pope? One Name Is in Contention
An American Pope? One
Name Is in Contention
the rundown
Apr 21, 2025 8:23 AM CDT

An American Pope? One Name Is in Contention

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, is among those seen as a possible successor

(Newser) - So who will be the next pope? Even as the tributes pour in for Pope Francis after his death on Monday morning , the question is at the forefront for the Catholic Church. The Washington Post sees no clear favorite at the moment, but the newspaper and other outlets are...

Remember When the Pope Was at Death's Door? Not Anymore

Doc says Francis is 'lively,' showing 'truly surprising improvement' after long bronchitis, pneumonia bout

(Newser) - Pope Francis has shown "a truly surprising improvement" since returning to the Vatican to convalesce after surviving a life-threatening bout with double pneumonia, the doctor who coordinated the pontiff's five-week hospitalization said Saturday. "I find him very lively," Dr. Sergio Alfieri said, after visiting the pope...

Pope's Doctors Were Close to Halting Treatment

Francis' doctors say he was close to death but that his nurse pleaded with them to keep him alive

(Newser) - Pope Francis returned home to the Vatican on Sunday, after being hospitalized for more than a month and suffering four "respiratory crises" as he battled bronchitis, then double pneumonia. Now, doctors at Rome's Gemelli hospital reveal just how close to death the 88-year-old pontiff came, and how they...

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