The Latest Breaking News from the Catholic Church

The synod-based transformation of the church that will influence the conclave could become a test of the integrity of 21st century Catholicism.

ANALYSIS: The ceremony has traditionally been a time of threatening, cajoling and strategising, writes Colin Rose

The secret meeting to elect a new pontiff began on Wednesday afternoon.

More than 130 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 2025. With the announcement “Extra omnes” – “all out” – the doors have been closed and the cardinals sequestered to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church. They will vote, confer, pray and vote again until a candidate…

Watch live as cardinals elect a new pope with white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening (8 May).

With the conclave to elect the new pope beginning in Vatican City on Wednesday, following the death of Francis I on 21 April, we look at the contenders from around the world to succeed him and become the 267th pope.

The conclave that begins in Vatican City on Wednesday is the process of electing the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Shrouded in mystery, with all those involved sworn to secrecy on threat of ex-communication, what do we know about what goes on behind the sealed doors of…

Cardinals from all over the world will gather in conclave on Wednesday to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

One hundred and thirty-three cardinals are sequestering themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for the start of a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis