Each day between now and the May 7 conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, John Allen is offering a profile of a different papabile, the Italian term for a man who could be pope. There’s no scientific way to identity these contenders; it’s mostly a matter of weighing reputations, positions held and influence wielded over the years. There’s also certainly no guarantee one of these candidates will emerge wearing white; as an old bit of Roman wisdom has it, “He who enters a conclave as a pope exits as a cardinal.” These are, however, the leading names drawing buzz in Rome right now, at least ensuring they will get a look. Knowing who these men are also suggests issues and qualities other cardinals see as desirable heading into the election.

ROME – Pope Francis famously bucked convention by living not in the traditional papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace but rather the Casa Santa Marta. But suppose the maverick pontiff had taken things a step further and decided to relocate not merely from one Vatican spot to another, but outside Rome altogether?

ROME – As cardinals meet in Rome ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, a Peruvian cardinal accused of sexual abuse and whose ministry was restricted by Pope Francis has joined private meetings with his fellow red-hatters.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said April 28 that during a morning session of pre-conclave general congregations that day, cardinals discussed “issues of relevance for the future of the Church”.

These topics, he said, included “the relationship with the modern world and some challenges that are highlighted, such as evangelisation, relations with other faiths, and the issue of abuse. They spoke about the qualities the new pontiff will have to possess in order to respond to these challenges.”

ROME – After initially insisting he would take part in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, stripped of his privileges as a cardinal by the late pontiff in 2020 and convicted of financial fraud by a Vatican court in 2023, has withdrawn after reportedly being shown documents signed by the pope confirming it was his will Becciu not participate.

“Having at heart the good of the church, which I’ve served and will continue to serve with fidelity and love, as well as to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I’ve decided to obey as I always have the will of Pope Francis to not enter into the conclave, despite remaining convinced of my innocence,” the 76-year-old Becciu said in a statement.

ROME – After attending Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday and as they begin pre-conclave meetings to discuss the state of the world and the church ahead of electing his successor, the world’s cardinals gathered at Francis’s tomb to pray.

Speaking to journalists ahead of an April 27 Vespers service at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where Pope Francis is buried, Irish Cardinal Sean Brady said he remembered the Argentinian pontiff “with great joy and happiness and gratitude to God, who had given us such a wonderful pope for twelve years”.

“We pray that the Lord will have mercy on his soul and will send us just as good of a pope next time,” he said.

Brady, 85, is one of 252 living cardinals, 135 of whom are under the age of 80 and are therefore eligible to vote in the conclave, the date for which has not yet been set.

Members of the College of Cardinals came to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on Sunday afternoon to pay homage to Pope Francis after his funeral and burial service Saturday, and to pray Vespers together at his tomb as they contemplate who his successor might be.

Each day between now and the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, on a date yet to be set, John Allen is offering a profile of a different papabile, the Italian term for a man who could be pope. There’s no scientific way to identity these contenders; it’s mostly a matter of weighing reputations, positions held and influence wielded over the years. There’s also certainly no guarantee one of these candidates will emerge wearing white; as an old bit of Roman wisdom has it, “He who enters a conclave as a pope exits as a cardinal.” These are, however, the leading names drawing buzz in Rome right now, at least ensuring they will get a look. Knowing who these men are also suggests issues and qualities other cardinals see as desirable heading into the election.

ROME – When Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa heard the news Easter Monday that Pope Francis had died, he immediately cancelled his appointments and packed his bags for Rome. As he was leaving the headquarters of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, where he has led the Catholic flock in the Holy Land for the last decade, a small group of aides, employees and friends gathered outside as he was getting in the car to head to the airport.

Judgement

Early in Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece The Devils, a meeting of “incredibly vain” and well-lubricated “new men” is recalled:

“They talked about the abolition of the censorship and spelling reform…of the abolition of the army and the navy, of the agrarian reform and of the political pamphlets, of the abolition of inheritance, the family, children and the priesthood, of the rights of women…”

This passage came to my mind when I heard that our (misnamed) UK Supreme Court had ruled, in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, that for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act the term “woman” is to be restricted to biological females. Those not biologically female yet carrying a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) declaring them to be female will not be regarded in law as coming under the definition of “woman” with regard to the Equality Act.

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Sunday said the overwhelming love for Pope Francis must not be a flash of momentary emotion, but that his legacy should be welcomed and lived in the Church and the world.

Speaking during an April 27 Mass in St Peter’s Square, Parolin noted that it was Divine Mercy Sunday, and that mercy had been a central guiding principle throughout Francis’s papacy.

“It is important to welcome as a precious treasure this principle on which Pope Francis insisted so much,” he said.

“Our affection for him, which is being manifested at this time, must not remain a mere emotion of the moment; we must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another,” he said.

When Pope Francis gave the green light for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to issue its controversial 2024 declaration Fiducia Supplicans, authorising the blessing of persons in same-sex unions, the aim was presumably to fill a pastoral void and reach out to a constituency often alienated from the Catholic Church.

Under the heading of unintended consequences, however, one clear outcome of the declaration was the emergence of a new papal candidate: 65-year-old Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who also serves as the elected leader of the African bishops as president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

What was in the hearts of the eleven apostles when Jesus appeared on the evening of that first Easter Day?

Earlier, upon entering the tomb, John had come to believe that He was risen (John 20:8). Then Peter had seen Jesus one-to-one, and the rest had trusted him (Luke 24:34), but they did not believe the words of the two disciples returning from Emmaus (Mark 16:13). While these two were still speaking, Jesus appeared (Luke 24:36).

In the final stage of his earthly journey, Pope Francis was entombed on Saturday in the papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, a sign of his deep devotion to Mary and his desire to remain accessible to the people.

Some 150,000 people lined the streets to bid a final farewell as Pope Francis’s coffin was carried in an open popemobile during a historic procession from St Peter’s Basilica to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

Described by veteran Vatican reporter and analyst Elisabetta Piqué as “the last surprise of a pope of surprises”, the popemobile was an unexpected addition to the funeral procession, as many had anticipated a dark hearse or similar vehicle to carry the coffin to its final resting place.

Upon arrival at Saint Mary Major, the pope’s coffin was welcomed by a group of poor and homeless people, symbolising those whom he prioritised throughout his life and ministry.

During his funeral Mass, Pope Francis was remembered for his extraordinary legacy of service to those on life’s margins and praised for his constant emphasis on God’s mercy and the importance of fraternity in a divided world.

“It’s important to note that Pope Francis always placed the Gospel of mercy at the centre, repeatedly emphasising that God never tires of forgiving us,” said Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, in his homily.

“[God] always forgives, whatever the situation might be of the person who asks for forgiveness and returns to the right path,” Re said, adding: “Mercy and the joy of the Gospel are two key words for Pope Francis.”

Images of President Zelensky and Donald Trump having a private conversation at the funeral of Pope Francis have emerged.

The relationship between the US and Ukrainian presidents has been marked by a series of complex interactions, beginning with a controversial phone call in 2019 and evolving through various meetings and diplomatic engagements.

In July 2019, Trump held a phone conversation with newly elected Ukrainian President Zelensky. During this call, Trump urged Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in relation to Ukraine. This conversation became the centrepiece of the Trump–Ukraine scandal, leading to Trump’s first impeachment by the US House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Leaders from across the world have gathered in St Peter’s Square to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is representing the British Government, while Prince William is representing the United Kingdom.

Francis’s native Argentina is represented by President Javier Milei, who is seated in the front row according to Vatican protocol. President Milei had initially been hostile towards the Pontiff; however, following his election at the end of 2023, he sought to mend the fractured relationship. Milei visited Pope Francis at the Vatican during the canonisation of Argentina’s first female saint, María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, and enjoyed an hour-long conversation described as “very good and very friendly.” Upon the death of Francis, Milei declared a seven-day national mourning period in Argentina.

William Cash, former editor of the Catholic Herald, on Pope Francis’s funeral and legacy

The sight of Donald Trump and his Catholic First Lady being given a special dispensation to pray for a few moments before the coffin of Pope Francis was a reminder of how religion has returned not only to the forefront of US politics but is now centre stage in world affairs. This was made even more evident by the extraordinary sight of Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky sitting down in St Peter’s for a pre-funeral diplomatic chat, which Zelensky described as having the “potential to become historic”.

It is a matter of historical record that, years before the conclave of 2005 which elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, a group of centre-left European prelates – known as the “Sankt Gallen Group” after the Swiss city where they met – consciously sought a less doctrinaire alternative for the next pope and believed they had found their man in Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.

Bergoglio did not prevail in 2005, but he ascended to the papacy eight years later at the conclave of 2013.

So far as we know, there is no equivalent Sankt Gallen Group on the Catholic centre-right today, scheming to secure the election of a more conservative figure this time around. As a thought exercise, however, let us assume such a cabal existed: who might their candidate be?

ROME – One of Pope Francis’s most consistent geopolitical priorities throughout his 12-year reign was peacemaking, most notably through his constant push for building bridges, keeping channels of dialogue open and strengthening multilateralism.

The world’s first non-Western pope made it a personal mission to carry forward a “diplomacy of dialogue” in various contexts and situations, from engagement with China to the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East.

He has consistently pushed a strategy of multilateralism as a solution to resolving common issues such as migration and climate change, and while this advocacy was not always appreciated by everyone, he never failed to continue pursuing this agenda.

Now, one of his final acts will come at his funeral Saturday, as some 30 delegations, 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs come together to pay their final respects and bid farewell to a maverick pope that left his mark on the church, and the world.

It might be thought to be stating the obvious, but before electing a new pope the Church has to bury the last. The papal funeral is first of all about offering a fitting burial for the deceased pontiff, recognizing not just his dignity as a simple Christian, but also the high office he held. It also has important external, even juridical, significance for the whole Church.

In a monarchy with a line of succession, the cry “The King is dead, long live the King,” not only announces the death of the sovereign, but also the immediate transition of power to his successor. In the case of the papacy, there is no such direct continuity. The election of the new pope has to take place, which means that there must be a certain verification of the vacancy of the Petrine office before this can even be contemplated, let alone carried out.

ROME – Tradition holds that during the anti-Christian persecution of Roman Emperor Valerian in 258, St Lawrence, when given three days to round up the church’s riches before being executed, sold the church’s vessels and gave the money to the poor.

When summoned by Valerian to deliver the church’s property, wealth and treasures, Lawrence triumphantly appeared, ushering in the city’s poor, crippled, blind and suffering masses behind him.

As Pope Francis is laid to rest Saturday, in addition to the various heads of state, dignitaries and celebrities scheduled to attend, also present will be those to whom he dedicated the entirety of his priestly, episcopal and Petrine ministry: the poor.

Not only will groups of the poor, homeless, migrants and refugees be present at his funeral Mass in the Vatican, they will also be welcomed to his final burial place, the Basilica of St Mary Major, by a group of poor and needy people.

ROME – Fundamentally, every conclave shapes up as a referendum on the papacy that just ended: Do we want to keep going in the same direction, or do we want to change?

After the death of John Paul II in 2005, the vote was overwhelming for continuity, which is how you got to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, John Paul’s right-hand man, as Pope Benedict XVI in just four ballots; in 2013 the decision was massively for change, explaining the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires as Pope Francis in just five.

If we assume the same choice will shape the 2025 edition, then it’s worth asking who the continuity candidate might be this time – and it’s hard to think of a more obvious answer than 69-year-old Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, arguably as close to a potential “Pope Francis II” as one will find among the plausible contenders.

The increasing pace of scientific discoveries, including the race to put a man on the moon in the late 1950s, meant that there was widespread enthusiasm and support for science in the 20th century. In addition, science produced the first oral contraceptive pill which started to be marketed in 1960. The Pill showed that science could be a major ulterior force for changing society.

Pope St John XXIII had made reference to the marvellous progress of science in his day and on the need for science.[1] The feeling was that through science modern society would be able to give a better life to all and that the Church had to keep up with this inexorable progress. This appeared to be the principal motivation for calling of Second Vatican Council aggiornamento or the bringing of the Church up to speed.