Vatican News

CNA Staff, May 14, 2025 / 14:48 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV met Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner at the Vatican on Wednesday. 

Photos shared by Vatican News show the newly elected pope, who has described himself as “quite the amateur tennis player,” warmly greeting the 23-year-old Italian and his family as well as the president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Alberto Binaghi.

Sinner, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, is from a predominantly German-speaking region in Italy’s far north. He became the first Italian man to win a major tennis title since 1976 when he bested Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open in 2024, earning kudos from the late Pope Francis. 

Sinner is currently competing in the 2025 Italian Open, taking place in Rome. 

Greeting the pope in a room off the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, Sinner presented Pope Leo with a tennis racket and ball and asked the pope in Italian if he wanted to play. 

The pope responded: “Here we’ll break something. Best not to!”

Leo also joked that “Wimbledon would let” him compete in his white cassock, a reference to the famous rule at the All England Club tennis tournament that players must wear white.

The pope had previously been by journalists about whether he would like to play tennis again — perhaps a charity match — and “seemed game” but quipped that “we can’t invite Sinner,” in an apparent pun on the English meaning of Sinner’s last name, the AP Monday. 

When asked about the pope’s comment, Sinner genially responded that it’s “a good thing for us tennis players” that Leo likes the sport and expressed openness to hitting with the pontiff in the future.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 14, 2025 / 14:18 pm (CNA).

The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV has decided to “maintain an active presence on social media through official papal accounts” on X and Instagram, creating a new one for the latter platform.

In a statement May 13, the Dicastery for Communication said “Leo XIV inherits the X @Pontifex accounts used by Pope Francis and previously by Benedict XVI,” and a new account has also been opened on Instagram.

“On Instagram, the new pope’s account is called , and is the only official account of the Holy Father on this platform in continuity with Pope Francis’ account, ,” the dicastery noted, adding that the content published by Pope Francis on X “will soon be archived in the appropriate section of the Holy See’s ,” Vatican.va.

It also added that “the content published on the @Franciscus account will continue to be accessible as an ‘Ad Memoriam’ commemorative archive.”

The Vatican noted that “the presence of the popes on social media began on Dec. 12, 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI launched the @Pontifex account on what was then Twitter.”

The account, which is published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin, “has a total of 52 million followers.”

The dicastery highlighted Pope Francis’ activity on social media, with “a total of approximately 50,000 posts published on the nine @Pontifex accounts and on @Franciscus.”

“In this way, he has accompanied us almost every day of his pontificate with brief evangelical messages or exhortations for peace, social justice, and care for creation; and he has achieved great engagement, especially in difficult times (in 2020, a year of exceptional numbers due to the pandemic, his messages were viewed 27 billion times),” the dicastery stated.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 14, 2025 / 12:12 pm (CNA).

Prior to his elevation to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV stayed out of the spotlight on certain reforms backed by his predecessor but maintained a close relationship with Pope Francis and support for pro-life values, the dignity of migrants, care for the environment, and a more synodal Catholic Church.

Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was appointed as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2015 and took on major leadership roles in the Vatican from 2023 through 2025: prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops, where he provided guidance on appointing bishops and cardinals; and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, where he oversaw the Vatican’s relations with the Church in the region.

In the past, Leo has been critical of gender ideology, much like Francis. On issues related to homosexuality and same-sex blessings, Leo’s tone was very critical before his appointment as a cardinal but has since appeared to soften.

“He has not been a bishop of a diocese or a cardinal in the Roman Curia for long,” Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas, a Catholic institution, told CNA.

“He is not a ’senior cardinal,’” she said. “It was the choice of a relatively unknown figure.”

Joe Heschmeyer, an apologist at Catholic Answers, told CNA that Leo’s “liturgical motto stresses the need for our unity in Christ, so I have a strong hunch that one of the goals of his pontificate will be to restore more of a sense of unity and order to the Church.”

“One of the things that seems immediately clear about the new Roman pontiff is that he speaks clearly and gently,” he said. “Those are both crucial right now.”

Similar to Francis, Leo has been a consistent advocate for a culture of life. He has spoken out against abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.

Leo became involved in the pro-life movement before joining the priesthood and “Villanovans for Life,” the pro-life club at Villanova University, and has attended pro-life marches. He has also publicly spoken on the issue, including in social media posts.

In 2015, while attending the March for Life in Chiclayo, the now-pontiff that people must “defend human life at all times.” He also reshared several articles on X, including articles from CNA, about the sanctity of human life and opposition to abortion.

During , then-Bishop Prevost said that being pro-life for the entirety of life means that “the death penalty is inadmissible” and that seeking “blood for blood” is not the proper answer when trying to bring about justice.

Prior to his pontificate, Leo spoke out about gender ideology and homosexuality.

While bishop of Chiclayo, the now-pontiff condemned the promotion of gender ideology in the public education system in Peru, .

“It seeks to create genders that don’t exist, since God created men and women, and trying to confuse the ideas of nature will only harm families and individuals,” then-Bishop Prevost said in 2016, according to the article. 

“This campaign, apparently, is going to create a lot of confusion and do a lot of harm. We mustn’t confuse the importance of family and marriage with what others want to create, as if it were a right to do something that isn’t,” he said.

In 2012, when Leo was the prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, he said that Western mass media promotes “enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel; for example, abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia,” while speaking in .

Leo further criticized the negative media portrayal of members of the clergy who support “the traditional definition of marriage” in the same interview. He criticized the positive portrayal of “alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.” He spoke about the need for the Church to learn how to evangelize in this environment.

However, after he became a cardinal in 2023, he : “Pope Francis has made it very clear that he doesn’t want people to be excluded simply on the basis of choices that they make, whether it be lifestyle, work, way to dress, or whatever.” He noted that “doctrine hasn’t changed...but we are looking to be more welcoming."

After the Vatican authorized certain nonliturgical blessings of same-sex couples through the declaration , then-Cardinal Prevost said: “Each episcopal conference needs to have a certain authority” in determining how to implement the document, . Prevost noted some African bishops believed “our cultural situation is such that the application of this document is just not going to work.”

Leo was the prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops during the cardinal appointment of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who authored . Yet, Fernández was a longtime friend of Francis and it’s unclear whether then-Archbishop Prevost had any role in his appointment.

Christopher Malloy, the author of the book “” and chair of theology at the University of Dallas, told CNA he does not know what Leo “will emphasize in his pontificate” but said the “infallible teaching on the sexual act cannot change” and “God does not change his truth,” which is in line with Leo’s 2023 comments.

“The sexual act is ordained by God to be between one man and one woman who are married and who do not act against the end of the act, procreation,” Malloy said. “Any use of the sexual faculties that violates this principle is objectively evil and therefore harms the very persons engaged in the act.”

Leo promoted the Church’s Synod on Synodality in . The synod brings bishops, priests, and laypeople together for conversations about how to approach certain issues in the Church.

“I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is very present in the Church at this time and is pushing us towards a renewal, and therefore we are called to the great responsibility of living what I call a new attitude,” then-Cardinal Prevost said. “It is not just a process, it is not just changing some ways of doing things, maybe holding more meetings before making a decision.”

On social media, Leo was outspoken in support of migrants and shared posts that criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. Three of his five posts on X this year were criticizing those policies, sharing an on Francis’ response to Vice President JD Vance on a Catholic approach to immigration.

Leo on the board of directors for Caritas Peru from 2022–2024, which provides humanitarian assistance to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. It established a shelter for Venezuelan migrants in 2019.

However, , then-Cardinal Prevost also acknowledged certain problems that come from mass migration. He spoke about a large number of migrants in the small Italian town of Lampedusa, calling it “a huge problem,” and added: “It’s a problem worldwide, not only in this country.”

“There’s got to be a way to both solve the problem but also to treat people with respect,” he said, adding that everyone is given “the gift of being created in the image and likeness of God.”

As a cardinal, Prevost also spoke about environmental concerns, stressing a need to move “from words to actions,” according to at the time. He said that “dominion over nature” should not become “tyrannical” but must be a “relationship of reciprocity” with the environment.

Speaking to CNA, Heschmeyer said: “On issues like caring for the environment and immigrants, I think we can expect Pope Leo to sound a lot like Pope Francis (and the Catechism of the Catholic Church).”

The Holy Father may need to navigate other subjects that he has not publicly weighed in on at this time, including Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation , which opened the door to Communion for Catholics who have been divorced and remarried in limited circumstances.

Additionally, Leo will be tasked with managing his predecessor’s motu proprio , which restricts access to the Traditional Latin Mass.

“While there have been some rumors that he celebrates the Latin Mass, they remain just that right now: rumors,” Heschmeyer said when asked whether there have been any indications on how Leo might handle those restrictions moving forward.

“What is clear is that he seems to have a traditional sensibility in terms of liturgy and vestments, and his Latin (as seen in his blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s and in his first Mass as pope) seems crisp and clear,” he added.

Hanssen told CNA “there are a lot of cross-currents flying around the infosphere” and said it’s still unclear how Leo may handle certain topics of contention within the Church.

“Just as it was at the beginning of the Francis papacy, it is unclear how Leo XIV will position himself with regard to the John Paul II project of the re-evangelization of culture, what approach he would take to reinvigorating Christianity in secular, modern culture in first world countries, in the USA and Europe, because this has never been his primary field of pastoral work,” Hanssen said.

Heschmeyer encouraged Catholics not to follow Leo’s papacy by “looking for faults” on issues of contention but to rather focus on what can be learned from the Holy Father. 

“Spiritually, it’s so much healthier if you try to figure out what you can learn from him and how his leadership can help your own spiritual journey,” he said.

Vatican City, May 14, 2025 / 11:29 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged thousands of Eastern Catholics from around the world, many of whom come from places experiencing violence, not to abandon their ancestral lands and assured them that he will do everything he can to bring peace there.

“I thank God for those Christians — Eastern and Latin alike — who, above all in the Middle East, persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them. Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. Please, let us strive for this!” he said May 14.

The meeting with members of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches took place in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, part of a three-day jubilee event that included seven Eastern-rite liturgies celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The Eastern Catholic Churches follow the pope but maintain worship and other practices similar to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Speaking of Christ’s peace as “reconciliation, forgiveness, and the courage to turn the page and start anew,” Leo said, “for my part, I will make every effort so that this peace may prevail.”

“The peoples of our world desire peace, and to their leaders I appeal with all my heart: Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate!” the new pontiff said.

Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia was in the audience with Pope Leo on May 14. He told CNA afterward that the Ukrainian people have embraced Leo “with acclamation” during his first days.

“His first few words, upon election, this Sunday, and today’s words have really touched the hearts of people who are enduring a brutal genocidal aggression” in Ukraine, the archbishop added.

Gudziak referred to Leo’s remarks at his first , when the 69-year-old pope said: “I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people. May everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just, and lasting peace, as soon as possible. Let all the prisoners be freed and the children return to their own families.”

On that occasion, Leo also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and for the freeing of hostages. He entrusted all conflicts around the world to the intercession of the Queen of Peace.

In Wednesday’s audience, the pontiff recalled the Church’s hope in the power of Christ’s resurrection, an emphasis during the Easter season for Eastern-rite Christians, many of whom come from countries experiencing conflict, like the Holy Land and Ukraine.

“Who, better than you, can sing a song of hope even amid the abyss of violence?” Leo said. “Who, better than you, who have experienced the horrors of war so closely that Pope Francis referred to you as ‘martyr Churches’?”

“From the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East to Tigray and the Caucasus, how much violence do we see!” the pope continued. “Rising up from this horror, from the slaughter of so many young people, which ought to provoke outrage because lives are being sacrificed in the name of military conquest, there resounds an appeal: the appeal not so much of the pope, but of Christ himself, who repeats: ‘Peace be with you!’”

Leo’s speech also urged Eastern Catholics, who are minorities and a very small percentage of the global Catholic Church, to remain strong in their traditions, “without attenuating them … lest they be corrupted by the mentality of consumerism and utilitarianism” prevalent in the West.

Speaking about the contribution of the Christian East, the pope praised the sense of mystery in the liturgies, “liturgies that engage the human person in his or her entirety, that sing of the beauty of salvation and evoke a sense of wonder at how God’s majesty embraces our human frailty!”

“Pope Leo,” Gudziak said, “was at pains to say, basically, you might not be statistically big, but you have a unique role to play in the Catholic community: Stay faithful to your traditions.”

“The subtext is that sometimes these Churches, many of which are persecuted, are suffering from war, from genocide — Churches that have been numerically reduced, Churches that are in danger of disappearing after being there for 2,000 years, still speaking and praying in Aramaic, the language of Jesus —  he was saying, hold on to this legacy. We need it. The whole Catholic Church needs it,” Gudziak added.

The Catholic Church needs the Eastern rites’ “focus on the Resurrection, the Christocentric experience of the Church,” the Ukrainian archbishop continued. “There’s no Church without Christ. You can’t just have sociological gatherings. If Christ is not there, it’s not the experience of the Church, it’s not the experience of salvation.”

The closing Divine Liturgy of the Jubilee of Eastern Christians was a Byzantine liturgy with the Melkite Greek, Ukrainian Greek, and Romanian Greek Catholic Churches, together with the other Churches of the Byzantine rite.

In his homily for the liturgy, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv, the primate of Ukraine, said: “We are all very touched by the meeting with the newly-elected Pope Leo. This morning we felt embraced by the Holy Father, consoled in our suffering … appreciated for our ancient Christian traditions, and encouraged in our evangelizing mission which we carry out in the contemporary world.”

On the new pope’s ability to promote peace in the Russian conflict with Ukraine, Gudziak noted that “today, many are saying maybe Pope Leo is not the most powerful American in the world, but he’s the most important American in the world, even though he doesn’t have [military] or financial or political resources.”

Vatican City, May 13, 2025 / 11:43 am (CNA).

The leadership of the Vatican’s synod office has pledged its full availability and support of Pope Leo XIV in a public letter to the new pontiff shared Tuesday to its website and social media pages.

Noting that the synodal journey “continues” under Leo’s guidance, says the General Secretariat of the Synod looks “with confidence to the directions you will indicate, to help the Church grow as a community attentive to listening, close to each person, capable of authentic and welcoming relationships — a home and family of God open to all: a missionary synodal Church.”

Signed by Secretary-General Cardinal Mario Grech and undersecretaries Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, and Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, the letter explains the path the Synod on Synodality has taken since its start in 2021, including Pope Francis’ approval of the final document at the end of the general assembly in October 2024.

“The General Secretariat of the Synod remains fully available to offer its service in a spirit of collaboration and obedience,” it concluded.

As prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the now-Pope Leo XIV participated in both sessions of the assembly of the Synod on Synodality in October 2023 and October 2024.

Like Leo, Marín, one of the synod’s undersecretaries, is a member of the Order of St. Augustine.

The synod, the letter says, “is an ecclesial journey led by the Holy Spirit, the gift of the risen Lord, who helps us grow as a missionary Church, constantly undergoing conversion through attentive listening to the Gospel.”

The letter also quotes an accompanying note to the final document, which said the document’s indications “can already now be implemented in the local Churches and groupings of Churches, taking into account different contexts, what has already been done, and what remains to be done.”

Vatican City, May 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez of Chiclayo, Peru, had been planning a trip with his mother for months to visit various Marian shrines in Europe, such as Fátima, Medjugorje, and Lourdes, with of course a final stop in Rome.

What this diocesan priest could never have imagined was that his arrival in Rome would coincide with the election of “Bishop Roberto” Prevost as successor to St. Peter — the bishop who led his diocese for eight years and with whom he has a close friendship.

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 12, Pope Leo XIV made time in his busy schedule to welcome his friend Sánchez and Sánchez’s mother to the Vatican.

“The joy was immense; we were able to speak for a little over 30 minutes and give him a painting of Cuzco that we brought from Peru,” Sánchez told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Sánchez met with ACI Prensa at the curia general of the Augustinians in Rome, a few steps from the Vatican and where Pope Leo XIV resided when he was prior general of the order. Despite having recently assumed the Petrine ministry, the Holy Father found time for a heartfelt gesture: He personally requested that his friend and his friend’s mother be given accommodations at the Augustinian community.

This closeness, the Peruvian priest noted, is precisely what characterizes the pontiff: “Since he left Chiclayo, he always sends us a message on our birthdays, or when there is a priestly ordination. He also writes if he hears of a priest having a problem.”

Sánchez still recalls with visible emotion the moment of the white smoke. “I was with my mother at the Lourdes shrine and I was 90% certain that the Holy Spirit could give us Bishop Prevost as pope,” said the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in the José Leonardo Ortíz district of Chiclayo.

“I was simply waiting for the cardinal’s name to be said, and when it was, my mother and I both wept for joy. Then we thanked God, and I wrote him a message. He hasn’t answered me yet, but his secretary told us to have a little patience, as he has received many messages.”

Sánchez particularly highlighted the “love for the priests” that the now pope demonstrated as bishop of Chiclayo as well as his trust and commitment to young priests.

“We’re a young diocese, but we have many vocations. There are an average of about 80 or 85 priests, and he achieved a balance and harmony between the young and those who had been there for several years,” Sánchez emphasized.

He recalled the profound impact it had on him when years ago in the Chiclayo cathedral, he heard Prevost quote a line from St. Augustine, words that now Pope Leo XIV repeated in his first public appearance from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’” In this sense, Sánchez reflected, “we can all walk together toward that homeland that God has prepared for us.”

As Sánchez sees it, the pontiff chose this line because “in some ways, he felt a certain fear in assuming this responsibility, but also comfort in knowing that he is not alone but accompanied by his brothers in the faith.”

The priest also recalled the new pope’s availability, always “ready to listen” and engage in conversation with anyone who needed it.

“While he listened to you, he looked at you and listened to you until you were finished.” And then “he gave you simple yet profound advice. He has a very special charism,” Sánchez noted.

During Prevost’s years as bishop of Chiclayo, the priest noted, “he gave us an example of service, humility, and simplicity.”

Pope Leo XIV’s profound spirituality and extensive formation, with degrees in mathematics, philosophy, and canon law, did not prevent “his daily dealings from being simple and open.” 

“Before leaving Chicago, he was already doing advanced German studies and is fluent in several languages. But within that intellectual level that surprised us and his preparation, his relationship with the faithful was very simple, I think due to his ability to listen. His words were simple but profound, always focused on the Gospel and Christ.”

Sánchez also highlighted Prevost’s closeness to the poorest and the common people. “He revived Caritas in Chiclayo, when it was practically defunct,” he noted.

Sánchez was moved when he spoke of Chiclayo’s “strong but simple” faith while emphasizing the new pope’s closeness to young laypeople. He recalled with a smile “there’s a very funny of him singing with them at Christmas.”

“He had a great ability to reach young people. Now on social media, we can see, without exaggerating, thousands of people from Chiclayo who have a photo with him,” he related.

He also highlighted his moderate stance, one of the characteristics that, according to the Peruvian priest, “made Cardinal Prevost a candidate for papacy.”

“His election came quickly to show that there are no divisions in the Church, and I believe the Holy Father will achieve harmony,” he emphasized.

He also emphasized that he has “a good sense of humor.”

“He doesn’t tell jokes, but he often laughs heartily when there’s a funny anecdote.”

Finally, he noted that “we needed a pope whose pontificate could be longer,” something he hopes for from the pontificate of Leo XIV, who will turn 70 on Sept. 14.

“As they say at the Augustinian college, we will have a pope for a while, and if God allows it, at some point he will visit Peru, and for the first time a pope will come to the Diocese of Chiclayo,” he said with hope.

Rome Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 14:24 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV traveled to several countries as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine between 2001 and 2013 and also as a member of a Vatican dicastery since 2019. 

Below are some of the countries (in alphabetical order) the Chicago-born pope has visited — or where he has been based for pastoral reasons — outside of the U.S. in the last three decades.

As prior general of the Augustinians, Pope Leo XIV visited Australia in 2002 and 2005. 

In 2002, he visited the order’s Villanova College in Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. In 2005, he traveled to New South Wales to visit his confreres and celebrate Mass in Holy Spirit Parish — whose pastoral care is entrusted to the Augustinians — in western Sydney.    

In 2009, Pope Leo inaugurated the Augustinian university in the country’s capital of Kinshasa, where he spoke about the importance of education and also met with families and communities in war-torn villages. He also visited his confreres in the Bas-Uélé province in the same year.  

Pope Leo XIV traveled twice to India, in 2004 and 2006, when he was prior general of the Augustinians, visiting communities in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In 2004, he concelebrated the priestly ordination of six deacons belonging to his order in St. Francis Xavier Church in Kerala — the state where a significant number of Indian Catholics belonging to the live.

In 2003, Pope Leo XIV traveled to Papua, Indonesia, to celebrate an anniversary of the Order of St. Augustine in the Diocese of Sorong in Jayapura. During this stay, the former head of the Augustinians listened to the plight of those faced with armed conflict and civil unrest in the Papua region.

Pope Leo XIV was in Kenya in 2011, 2024, and 2025. In his 2024 visit to the African nation, the then-cardinal presided over the at Augustinian International House of Theology in Nairobi, reminding his listeners that the new church is “built on the rock which is our faith” and the need for each and every Catholic to “live in unity.”

The Nigeria Catholic Network reported that Pope Leo has visited the African country at least nine times between 2001 and 2016, participating in a number of meetings in Abuja and beyond in order to establish and consolidate the Augustinian order’s Nigeria province. 

Pope Leo was sent on mission in 1985 as a newly-ordained priest to Peru, where he was made the local prior for his religious community. Throughout the 1990s, he served the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Trujillo as judicial vicar and as a professor of canon law, patristics, and moral theology at the San Carlo and San Marcello seminary college.   

He returned to Peru in November 2014, after being in Chicago and Rome between 1999 and 2014, having been appointed by Pope Francis head the Diocese of Chiclayo. In 2020, he was also appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao. He remained in Peru until 2023 when he was called by the pope to work for the Roman Curia and eventually made a cardinal.  

Pope Leo has made several visits to the Philippines — in 2002, 2010, and 2012 — as the prior general of the Augustinians. During one of his visits, the pope visited the country’s oldest church, the Santo Niño Basilica, in Cebu, which houses the renowned shrine of the Child Jesus. The Order of St. Augustine is recognized as the first group of missionaries who effectively helped establish Catholicism as the main religion on the Asian archipelago.   

Augustinians in the Asia Pacific helped to establish their community in South Korea in 1985.  While still a newly-ordained priest and young missionary, Pope Leo took a flight to the Asian nation, though he was on holiday, to support his brothers when they were having difficulty setting up the mission in the country, Father John Sullivan, OSA, told The Catholic Leader.

Pope Leo has visited the African nation of Tanzania more than five times. Tanzania’s national newspaper Daily News reported that the newly-elected pontiff had traveled to several places — even undertaking an approximately 468-mile road trip from Songea to Morogoro. 

“We got into the same car [in Songea], which he drove himself, and went to Morogoro, where he received the perpetual vows of three of our sisters (nuns) on Aug. 28, 2003,” Bishop Stephano Musomba told Daily News.

Vatican City, May 12, 2025 / 12:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have spoken on the phone following the pontiff’s plea for lasting peace in the country, the Vatican said Monday.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed that the two leaders had spoken after the pope expressed concern for Ukraine during his Sunday address delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” Pope Leo said on Sunday after singing the Regina Coeli prayer with approximately 100,000 people.

“May everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just, and lasting peace, as soon as possible,” the Holy Father continued. “Let all the prisoners be freed and the children return to their own families.”

On Monday morning, Zelenskyy shared a of him purportedly having a telephone call with the new head of the Catholic Church from his office.

“I spoke with Pope Leo XIV,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X. “It was our first conversation but already a very warm and truly substantive one.”

After expressing gratitude to the Holy Father “for his support for Ukraine and all our people,” Zelenskyy said he and the pope specifically discussed the plight of thousands of children deported by Russia.

“Ukraine counts on the Vatican’s assistance in bringing them home to their families,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Reiterating Ukraine’s commitment to work toward a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and the end of the war with Russia, the president said he also invited the Holy Father “to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine” during the phone call.

“Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people,” he said. “We agreed to stay in contact and plan [an] in-person meeting in the near future.”

Vatican City, May 12, 2025 / 09:22 am (CNA).

In his first address to international media on Monday, Pope Leo XIV thanked journalists for their service to the truth and for communicating peace in difficult times.

“We are living in times that are both difficult to navigate and to recount. They present a challenge for all of us, but it is one that we should not run away from,” Leo said in the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall on May 12. “On the contrary, they demand that each one of us, in our different roles and services, never give in to mediocrity.”

“Thank you, dear friends, for your service to the truth,” he said, also underlining the importance of preserving free speech and the free press.

In one of his first audiences, Pope Leo XIV met with several thousand members of the international press to thank them for their “long and tiring days” of work over the last few weeks as they reported on Pope Francis’ death, funeral, and the conclave.

Before his prepared remarks in Italian, the new pope spoke in English, thanking everyone for the warm reception and the applause. 

“They say when they clap at the beginning it doesn’t matter much… If you are still awake at the end, and still want to applaud… Thank you very much!” Leo said.

Turning to the present moment, Leo said: “The Church must face the challenges posed by the times. In the same way, communication and journalism do not exist outside of time and history. St. Augustine reminds of this when he said, ‘Let us live well, and the times will be good. We are the times’ (Discourse 311).”

The pontiff, elected May 8, also emphasized the important role of communications for promoting peace. 

“In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Mt 5:9). This is a beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you, calling each one of you to strive for a different kind of communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it,” Leo said.

“Peace,” he continued, “begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others, and speak about others. In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.”

According to the pope, one of the most important challenges for media today is promoting communication that moves away from the confusion of the “Tower of Babel” and the “loveless languages that are often ideological or partisan.”

“Your service, with the words you use and the style you adopt, is crucial,” he underlined. “As you know, communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion. In looking at how technology is developing, this mission becomes ever more necessary.”

He mentioned in particular the responsibility and discernment needed in the use of artificial intelligence — a responsibility that involves everyone according to his or her age.

On the topic of truth, Leo XIV reiterated the Church’s solidarity with journalists who have been imprisoned “for seeking to report the truth” and appealed for their release.

“The Church recognizes in these witnesses — I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives — the courage of those who defend dignity, justice, and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said. “The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.”

Vatican City, May 11, 2025 / 06:51 am (CNA).

“To young people I say: Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and Christ the Lord!” declared Pope Leo XIV to thunderous applause during his first Regina Coeli address as an extraordinary crowd of jubilant pilgrims packed St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.

The spontaneous call to young people from the first U.S.-born pope words of St. John Paul II in 1978.

On Sunday, Leo’s call — to an estimated crowd of 100,000 people — came during an address that coincided with Good Shepherd Sunday, which the new pontiff called “a gift from God” for his inaugural Sunday as bishop of Rome.

The sound of marching bands and cheerful pilgrims resonated throughout the Vatican as an exuberant, celebratory atmosphere filled the piazza and the surrounding streets. Participants in the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment, specially welcomed by the pope, provided melodious moments throughout the gathering. Huge crowds poured into the square on a warm Roman spring day with spontaneous cheers of “Viva il Papa” erupting repeatedly.

“I consider it a gift from God that the first Sunday of my service as bishop of Rome is Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter,” Pope Leo said, prompting another wave of enthusiastic applause.

“In this Sunday always is proclaimed in the Mass the Gospel of John, chapter 10, in which Jesus reveals himself as the true Shepherd, who knows and loves his sheep and for them gives his life.”

The pope noted that this Sunday also marks the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day focused on praying for those called to religious life and priesthood.

“Today, brothers and sisters, I have the joy of praying with you and all the people of God for vocations, especially those to the priesthood and religious life. The Church has such a great need for them!” the pope said.

Leo XIV emphasized the importance of young people finding “acceptance, listening, and encouragement in their vocational journey” within Catholic communities and having “credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters.”

The pope specifically acknowledged the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment being hosted in Rome on Sunday. “I greet with affection all these pilgrims and thank them because, with their music and their performances, they enliven the feast of Christ the Good Shepherd,” he said as musical groups in the square responded with brief, spirited performances.

Referencing for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Leo encouraged Catholics to welcome and accompany young people discerning their calling.

“Let us ask our heavenly Father to assist us in living in service to one another, each according to his or her state of life, shepherds after his own heart, capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth,” he said.

In a particularly animated moment, the pope addressed young people directly: “To young people I say: Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and Christ the Lord!” The crowd responded with sustained applause.

The Regina Coeli prayer during the Easter season. Pope Leo invoked the Virgin Mary, “whose entire life was a response to the Lord’s call,” to accompany all in following Jesus. He masterfully sang the Regina Coeli in mellifluous Latin before imparting his blessing. The crowd erupted in shouts of “Viva il Papa!”

The pontiff then spoke solemnly about the tragedy of the Second World War, which ended on May 8, 1945. “We are now confronting a third world war piecemeal as Pope Francis reminded us,” he said. “As Pope Paul VI said: War no more!”

“I hold close to my heart the suffering of the poor people in Ukraine, that they might find a true and lasting peace,” he continued. He also called for an end to the violence in Gaza and prayed for all those taken hostage to be released. “And I rejoice at the recent peace made between India and Pakistan.” He said he hoped for a lasting accord.

Pope Leo greeted “with affection all of you, those from Rome and the pilgrims from various countries,” mentioning countries and groups by name to cheers and applause from the square.

Leo also acknowledged that Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries. “I send a special greeting to all mothers for all they give to us,” he said, prompting warm applause.

The pope thanked everyone and wished everyone a “buona Domenica” and a happy Sunday. He spent a few moments gratefully smiling and acknowledging the ecstatic, warm reception before departing.

Following the Regina Coeli, the pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel and greet journalists who covered the conclave on Monday.

Earlier Sunday morning, Pope Leo celebrated Mass at the Vatican Grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica at the altar near the tomb of St. Peter. He concelebrated with the prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, Father Alejandro Moral Antón. After Mass, the Holy Father paused to pray at the tombs of his predecessors and visited the niche of the Pallia. These woolen stoles symbolize the unity between the pope and metropolitan archbishops worldwide.

Vatican City, May 10, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Vatican unveiled Pope Leo XIV’s official portrait and signature Saturday, revealing the American pontiff’s embrace of traditional papal elements just two days after his historic election.

The formal portrait shows the 69-year-old pope wearing the red mozzetta (short cape), embroidered stole, white rochet, and golden pectoral cross — traditional papal vesture that present a visual contrast to the simpler style preferred by his predecessor.

Vatican Media published the portrait alongside the pope’s personal signature, which includes the notation “P.P.” — an abbreviation traditionally used in papal signatures that stands for “Pastor Pastorum” (“Shepherd of Shepherds”). Pope Francis had departed from this convention, signing simply as “Franciscus.”

This return to traditional elements accompanies Leo’s papal coat of arms.

The heraldic design features a fleur-de-lis on a blue background, symbolizing the Virgin Mary, while the right side displays a heart pieced by an arrow, resting on a book against a cream background. This is based on the of the Augustinian order.

The fleur-de-lis has particular significance in Catholic iconography as a symbol of purity and the Virgin Mary.

The three-petaled lily design has also been connected to the Holy Trinity. It is prominently featured in French heraldry, which may hold personal meaning for the pope, who has French ancestry through his father’s lineage.

Beneath the shield runs a scroll displaying the pope’s episcopal motto: “In illo uno unum” (“In the one Christ we are one”), a phrase taken from St. Augustine’s commentary on Psalm 127. The motto reflects Leo’s roots in the Augustinian order and his commitment to unity in the Church.

These profound presentations of papal symbols — the portrait, signature, and coat of arms — traditionally occur in the early days of a new pontificate and provide insights into the theological priorities and pastoral style the new pope intends to emphasize.

Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, made history on May 8 after becoming the first U.S.-born pope.

CNA Staff, May 10, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s pontifical name is a reflection of his intent to lead the Catholic Church with a “clear vision” amid a turbulent world, Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Friday.

The Italian prelate, who was one of the voting members of the conclave that elected Leo to the papacy this week, told EWTN News Vice President and Editorial Director Matthew Bunson in Rome that the cardinals were “surprised by the name” chosen by the new pope, born Robert Prevost.

But “it [was] a wonderful surprise,” the cardinal said.

“I asked him why he took this name,” Filoni said. “He’s an Augustinian. ... He told me: ‘In this moment, we need a man with a clear vision of the Church.’”

Filoni pointed to what was until this week the most recent Leonine pope, Pope Leo XIII, who led the Church from 1878 to 1903 during a time of great global upheaval and change.

“[It was] a moment when society was reorganizing itself, especially the social [aspects] and the work, the organization,” Filoni said.

Leo XIII worked to articulate the social positions of the Catholic Church in the midst of those transformations, including with the encyclical , which in part addressed deplorable working conditions and asserted the rights of workers.

Leo XIII has been hailed for decades as the “social pope” for those efforts. Filoni also pointed out that Pope Leo I — who served in the fifth century — is remembered as “Leone Magno,” or “Leo the Great,” and who among his accomplishments worked to clarify doctrines related to Christ’s human and divine natures.

“I think [Leo XIV] had a lot of these aspects in his heart” in picking his name, Filoni said. “And we will see it.”

The cardinal further noted the new pope’s which he opened with: “Peace be with you all.”

Filoni — the grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre — said the significance of this blessing cannot be missed, particularly in the context of ongoing unrest in the Holy Land.

“I am sure it will remain an essential part of his pontificate, but not in the sense of a sociological aspect or political aspect,” he said.

“If there is no peace of the Lord, men never will make peace,” he said. “They will make an agreement [and] after a while it will be completely abandoned. So he put at the center of peace the person of Jesus, the risen Lord.”

Vatican City, May 10, 2025 / 08:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV met with the College of Cardinals on Saturday morning for his first official address since his election, outlining key priorities for his pontificate in the age of artificial intelligence while emphasizing continuity with his predecessors and commitment to the Church’s social teaching.

The U.S.-born pontiff, speaking in Italian, explained his choice of papal name, noting that Pope Leo XIII “addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution” with his encyclical .

“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor,” .

The 69-year-old pope began the meeting with a prayer, expressing his gratitude to the cardinals while acknowledging his own limitations in assuming the papacy.

“You, dear cardinals, are the closest collaborators of the pope. This has proved a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us,” he said.

The pope specifically thanked Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, for their service during the sede vacante period.

In , Pope Leo emphasized his commitment to continuing the Church’s path following the Second Vatican Council, specifically highlighting Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation as providing “masterful and concrete” direction.

The pope identified several fundamental principles to guide his pontificate, “the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; attention to the sensus fidei, especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world.”

After his prepared remarks, the Holy Father engaged in a dialogue session with the cardinals, discussing “advice, suggestions, proposals, concrete things” raised during the pre-conclave meetings.

Pope Leo concluded by quoting St. Paul VI’s hope expressed at the beginning of his pontificate in 1963, praying that the Church would “pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love kindled in all men and women of goodwill.”

Rome Newsroom, May 10, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo described Pope Leo XIV as a “solid, discreet, and good worker” and expressed confidence that the new pontiff will continue to be “bold” in addressing the needs of today’s world in comments made shortly after the May 8 conclave that elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the Church’s 267th pope.

Speaking with , CNA’s Italian-language news partner, on the streets of Rome, the bishop of Ajaccio, Corsica — who participated as a cardinal elector — said the College of Cardinals entered the conclave with openness to the Holy Spirit, not political calculation.

“It’s precisely this: We weren’t thinking at all about strategies or political tactics,” Bustillo said.

“We were trusting and wanted not our own good, not the good of us cardinals, but wanted the good of the people of God, and I think we succeeded in giving a good pope to the Church — and this was our objective.”

The cardinal highlighted the significance of the date of Leo’s election. May 8 is marked across much of Europe as Victory in Europe Day, commemorating the end of World War II.

“Our world needs peace — there’s too much violence in our lives, in our families, everywhere, even in international geopolitics — and so there’s a need for peace,” he said. “The pope was right to recall the meaning of peace, and the mission of the Church is to foster peace.”

When asked about similarities between Leo XIV and his predecessor, Pope Francis, Bustillo pointed to their shared pastoral outlook.

“He reminds me of Pope Francis in his contact with people, in his vision of the world, and in his understanding of the Church’s response to the world,” he said. “That’s what’s important.”

Bustillo emphasized that the conclave, which concluded in under 24 hours, was marked by spiritual clarity and fraternal unity.

“He is the pope the Holy Spirit has given us — in less than 24 hours we elected the pope, and there were neither tactics nor strategies. There was freedom and trust,” he said.

Reflecting on the Church’s challenges, Bustillo voiced hope that Leo XIV would offer meaningful guidance for a restless world.

“Faith in a world that is very materialistic, hedonistic — we need to find a spirituality, a soul, in this world that functions but does not live,” he said.

Vatican City, May 10, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The election of Leo XIV was enthusiastically received by Caritas Internationalis, which expressed its support for the new pontiff and reaffirmed its readiness to walk alongside the new pope “in a spirit of service and synodality,” recognizing his election as a sign of both continuity and renewal in the ecclesial commitment to the most vulnerable.

“We offer our heartfelt prayers at the beginning of his sacred ministry and we pledge to follow and support him in a spirit of service and synodality, so that in guiding the Church, he may be a visible foundation of unity in faith and communion in charity, ‘building bridges through dialogue’ as we build a synodal Church, walking together, for greater peace and charity, close to those who suffer,” the Catholic organization said in .

Caritas Internationalis also emphasized the significance of the new pope choosing to be called Leo just a few days before the 134th anniversary of Leo XIII’s encyclical , which gave rise to the Church’s social teaching.

“The choice of the name Leo is deeply significant as we approach the 134th anniversary of Leo XIII’s encyclical on May 17, a clear commitment to the social apostolate of the Church and Catholic social teaching,” the statement said.

Caritas Internationalis also stated that its mission is closely linked to charity as an essential expression of the Church’s inner being: “‘As the service of charity is a constitutive element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being’ (), this new chapter invites us to renew our mission — to witness the love of Christ through concrete acts of compassion, justice, and hope for the world’s most vulnerable, with the dignity of every person at the center, hearing ‘both to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ ( 49).”

The president of Caritas Internationalis, Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, emphasized that the confederation is not just an aid agency but “a manifestation of God’s love in action.”

Along the same lines, the organization’s secretary-general, Alistair Dutton, celebrated the beginning of Leo XIV’s pontificate: “This is an exciting moment for the Church and the world. Pope Leo’s immediate identification with issues of peace, solidarity, dialogue, and charity, and particularly his commitment to people who suffer, is an early indication to his commitment to a missionary Church for the poor and social justice.”

The new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, has a long background in pastoral and charitable work. Born in Chicago, he served as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. From 2022 to 2024, he also served on the board of directors of Caritas Peru.

Sean Callahan, president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) — a member of Caritas Internationalis — also expressed his joy at the election: “We are overjoyed by the election of Pope Leo XIV and look forward to his leadership and guidance. As the first pope born in the United States, this is a momentous occasion for American Catholics and, as the humanitarian organization for the U.S. Church, CRS is proud to mark his historic election.”

Rooted in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, Caritas Internationalis is a global confederation present in more than 200 countries.

CNA Deutsch, May 10, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has candidly confessed he “didn’t expect” the election of Pope Leo XIV, praising the new pontiff’s “warmth and humanity” while expressing hope for theological clarity concerning synodality.

Speaking to EWTN News after attending the new pope’s first Mass in the Sistine Chapel on Friday, the German cardinal reflected on the conclave process that yielded the Church’s 267th pope.

“I entered the conclave with all the different speculations that one could perceive in the media,” Woelki acknowledged. “But it’s usually the case that on the first evening, at the first vote, certain trends become visible — whether others have also discerned in prayer that this or that candidate might be the one called by the Lord. And that’s how it turned out with regard to the current Holy Father.”

The archbishop of Cologne expressed particular appreciation for the papal name choice, connecting it to previous pontiffs who addressed social challenges.

“I think it’s wonderful that he chose this particular name, which besides Leo the Great — who naturally has special significance for Rome — also recalls Leo XIII with and its tremendous impact,” Woelki said. “And I think, given the divisions in the world, including the social divisions we face, we depend on the pope’s voice. Just as we once relied on Leo XIII, today we rely on Leo XIV.”

Woelki, who has faced in his German archdiocese in recent years, highlighted qualities he finds reassuring in the new pontiff.

“What I associate most with Pope Leo is his approachability, his humanity,” the cardinal stated. “He radiates security. That is, I believe, something that is important and beneficial here in the Vatican and in this universe.”

Profound problems persist both globally and within the Church that will require papal attention, Woelki observed. Among these challenges, he emphasized theological questions surrounding the concept of synodality as developed during the previous pontificate.

“Major issues naturally include preserving the Church’s unity in faith,” the cardinal explained. “Additionally, what Francis initiated must now be organized by him [Leo XIV] and theologically deepened, especially what Francis repeatedly understood as synodality — where particularly in Germany, but I believe also in other parts of the world, there remains considerable uncertainty about what synodality theologically really means for us.”

The Cologne cardinal also pointed to numerous international conflicts requiring papal leadership.

“Of course, there are the major crisis areas in the world,” Woelki added, “from the Holy Land to Ukraine. In this context, the pope has an important voice regarding peace, social justice, and where people are being exploited.”

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the United States, was elected on May 8, becoming the first U.S.-born pontiff in the Church’s history.

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 18:28 pm (CNA).

Americans gathered in St. Peter’s Square on May 8 to celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States. Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago’s South Side, the 69-year-old Augustinian friar was chosen by the College of Cardinals after just two days of conclave. 

While American flags were scarce among the sea of international banners, those present from the U.S. lingered in the square long after the Holy Father appeared out on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time. They shared prayers, chants, and reflections on the unprecedented moment.  

“Never in a million years did I think that the Holy Spirit would send us a beautiful cardinal from Chicago,” said Deacon Steven Marcus, a Maronite Catholic from Florida. “You could tell by his face that he’s filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s filled with love. This is who the Church needs.” 

Moments after the white smoke rose, the crowd surged toward the front of the basilica.  

John Stadeno, a Villanova University graduate from Philadelphia, stood front and center with his friend, John Sanchez of New York, clutching an American flag and wearing a Phillies jersey and a baseball cap. Together they chanted the name of the spiritual father of the new pope’s religious order: “Agostino! Agostino!” 

“It’s an affirmation of the Augustinian way,” Stadeno said, referencing the shared alma mater with the new pope. “Prevost is a good man. He’s worked hard as a missionary, as a bishop. He’ll do a good job.” 

Sanchez added: “God bless the new Pope Leo XIV and God bless the U.S.A.” 

Brother Benedict Mary Bartsch, OP, a 29-year-old Dominican from Hawaii studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum — where the new pope is also an alumnus — expressed his awe at witnessing the event firsthand.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be here in Rome, to be at the heart of the Church, and praying all these days for the cardinals and for the election of the new Holy Father. And to be here in the square when it actually happened, it’s just amazing.” 

Upon seeing Pope Leo XIV emerge, Bartsch observed: “He seemed like he was very moved. I mean, you could see he was tearing up a little bit. You could see that he understood the sort of weight, the burden that comes with the office, with the Petrine office.” 

Andres Novoa, 33, from the Archdiocese of Miami, held up one of the few American flags in the square. “It feels unbelievable,” he said. “The Church needs a lion. The Church needs to realize that Christ is the Lion of Judah. The Church needs to assert herself as the mother and teacher, you know, that is what the world needs. And the Church is not here to hurt anyone. It’s here to give everyone salvation.” 

Novoa joked about the unexpected turn of events: “I thought the only thing this American flag would do for us was get us beat up. And now, the last thing we expected was an American pope.” 

David Solheim, an Eastern Orthodox Christian from Phoenix, traveled to Rome for the conclave. “I came out to Rome specifically for the conclave, something I always wanted to do. Like a bucket list item,” he said. “And never thought that my first conclave would be the first American pope.”

He noted the pope’s initial reaction: “You could tell he wasn’t expecting it. He was nervous. Like, I think all of us would be up there. He seems like a genuine shepherd and pastor and I look forward to what the future holds for the Church.” 

Jerry Grogan, holding an American flag before the announcement, expressed his pride: “It’s so exciting to have someone from Chicago, my hometown, to represent the Catholic Church. I’m so proud.”

He recounted a conversation with a priest from Champaign, Illinois, also waiting in St. Peter’s Square, where they doubted the possibility of an American pope. “Lo and behold, now we have our first American pope,” he said. 

Pope Leo XIV, known for his missionary work in Peru and his role in the Roman Curia as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, brings a global perspective to the papacy. Fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, he is also reportedly a White Sox fan who enjoys playing tennis and the game of “Wordle,” according to his brother.  

“You could tell by the people that were in the square today how much they love Almighty God and how much they love our new Holy Father. Good things are happening for our Church,” Marcus said.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 9, 2025 / 15:53 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV had the opportunity to meet three of his predecessors at the helm of the Barque of Peter. The following are some photos of these encounters between former Cardinal Robert Prevost as a young Augustinian religious, prior of the order, and cardinal.

The Augustinian Province of the Midwest in the United States, established under the patronage of Our Mother of Good Counsel, has published several photos of his meetings with St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

In the first, a young Prevost, vested as a deacon, is seen greeting the Polish pontiff, likely at the conclusion of a liturgical ceremony.

In the second, St. John Paul II appears again with the young Prevost, who is wearing the black habit of the Order of St. Augustine.

He was also wearing the Augustinian habit when his photo was taken during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Finally, on Sept. 30, 2023, a photo was taken capturing the moment when Pope Francis made him a cardinal.

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 14:19 pm (CNA).

The United States cardinals who were part of the conclave that on Thursday elected Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, called him “a citizen of the world,” in continuity with Pope Francis but with his own manner of doing things.

At a May 9 press conference at the Pontifical North American College in Rome following Leo’s election, seven cardinals fielded questions about participating in the conclave, the qualities of Pope Leo, and the impact of having an American pope.

While Cardinal Robert McElroy, the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., expressed surprise at the election of a U.S.-born pope, something he said he never expected to see in his lifetime, others, including Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop emeritus of Galveston-Houston, underlined that where Leo is from was of little importance to the cardinals’ decisions compared with the new pontiff’s quiet manner and missionary experience. 

Leo XIV “is a citizen of the world,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York underlined, and “where he came from is secondary” to what he represents now as pope and leader of the universal Church.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Leo’s hometown, emphasized the unity and common purpose of the cardinal electors, who, he said, treated one another with respect and “jelled” inside the conclave, allowing at least 89 men from many different countries and backgrounds to agree and make a decision in just 24 hours.

McElroy described an atmosphere of contemplation, from walking into the conclave to the chanting of the Litany of Saints, to coming face-to-face with Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” on the wall of the Sistine Chapel.

“All sense of divisions within the world fell away and we were looking into the souls of each other,” reflecting on which soul had the capacity to be Christ’s vicar on earth, he said.

Like Pope Francis, Pope Leo will promote a missionary discipleship, McElroy said. Leo is “at his core a missionary. In every way a missionary giving his life for the Church.”

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, of French origin but the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., was also present in the press conference and seconded the reflection that the conclave took place in a spiritual atmosphere rather than a political one.

The archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory, got emotional as he recounted pledging his respect, fidelity, and love to the new pontiff after his election. He said the former Cardinal Robert Prevost made the biggest impression on the other cardinals during small, side conversations during lunch or coffee breaks, rather than in one big speech before the whole assembly.

McElroy added that the new pope did speak during the general congregations before the conclave, but it was less about what he said and more about how he said it.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, shared the most evocative image from inside the Sistine Chapel.

He recalled walking up to cast one of his votes, and immediately afterward, turning and looking over toward the then-Cardinal Prevost, who had his head in his hands. 

“And I was praying for him, because I can’t imagine what happens to a human being when he faces something like [becoming pope],” Tobin said. “And then when he accepted it, [it was like] he was made for it. All of whatever anguish [he had] was resolved by the feeling, I think, that this wasn’t simply his saying yes to a proposal, but God made something clear and he agreed to it.”

Tobin, who has known Pope Leo XIV for about 30 years and worked with him when they were both superiors of their respective religious congregations, said: “I don’t think he’s one to pick fights with people, but he’s not one to back down if the cause is just.”

Tobin, DiNardo, Gregory, Cupich, and Dolan all encouraged journalists to let Leo grow into the office of pope, watching what he does and says in this new role before casting judgment.

“You can’t capture tomorrow by looking at yesterday,” Gregory said.

McElroy added that while the cardinals were looking for someone “following the same pathway as Francis,” they were not interested in choosing “a photocopy.”

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 13:52 pm (CNA).

In his first Mass as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to “bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior” in a world where “a lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life.” 

Preaching in the Sistine Chapel on May 9 to the cardinals who elected him, the first pope born in the United States opened his homily in English. 

“My brother cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the ministry of Peter,” the new pope said, speaking off the cuff.

 “You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.” 

He continued the rest of the homily in Italian, reflecting on the Gospel question Jesus posed to Peter: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 

Leo XIV — the Chicago native and Augustinian missionary born Robert Prevost — said the world’s response often rejects Jesus “because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements.” 

“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure,” he said.

“These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised, or at best tolerated and pitied,” he continued. “Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.”

“A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society.” 

The pope said this is “the world that has been entrusted to us,” where believers are “called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior.” 

“It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then, to do so as a Church, experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the good news to all,” he said. 

“I say this first of all to myself, as the successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as bishop of Rome and, according to the well-known expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, am called to preside in charity over the universal Church (cf. Letter to the Romans, Prologue),” he said. 

“St. Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: ‘Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body’ (Letter to the Romans, IV, 1),” the pope said.  

“Ignatius was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena — and so it happened — but his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority. It is to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified (cf. Jn 3:30), to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him. May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.” 

Leo XIV offered the Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where he was elected Thursday afternoon as the 266th successor of Peter. It marked the first time Pope Leo XIV prayed the Eucharistic Prayer as bishop of Rome, saying “and me, your unworthy servant.” 

Beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes, Leo prayed the prayers of the Mass in Latin. The two readings were delivered in English and Spanish. At the end of the liturgy, he led the cardinals in singing the Marian Easter hymn “Regina Caeli,” joined by the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir. 

The Vatican announced that Leo will be formally installed at a Mass on May 18 and will preside over his first general audience May 21. He is scheduled to deliver his first Regina Caeli blessing at noon on Sunday. 

Rome Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 12:26 pm (CNA).

From Europe to the Asia Pacific, millions of Catholics are celebrating the election of U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.

After news of “white smoke” began to spread across Rome, Singaporean theology student Dominic Nalpon managed to arrive at the center of St. Peter’s Square in time to hear the awaited “Habemus papam!” (“We have a pope!”) announcement and see the new Holy Father.

“My first impression of the new Pope Leo XIV was that he had a sense of presence about him,” Nalpon told CNA on Thursday. “I was especially joyful at his name ‘Leo’ as it brings to mind two other popes of the same name who are dear to me.”

“Leo the Great who is a doctor of the Church and the one who turned away the Huns from invading Rome through the intercession of Sts. Peter and Paul,” the Angelicum student continued, “and Leo the XIII, who is renowned for laying the foundations for Catholic social teaching and reviving Thomism.”

Father Dante Bendoy, OSA, prior provincial of the Augustinian Province of the Philippines, praised the new pope’s “genuine pastoral heart” and “deep commitment to our order and the Church.” 

“As Augustinians, we take pride and joy in his election, for he is the first Augustinian to be elected pope — a historic milestone that fills our hearts with gratitude and hope,” Bendoy said in a Friday statement.

“We cherish the memories of his warm presence, the Mass he celebrated with us, his humility, and the photos we shared,” he said after recounting the several times Pope Leo XIV — as prior general of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013 — visited the Philippines. 

While Bendoy recognized his confrere’s recent election as a “divine blessing,” he said the papal office is a “high calling” that is “not without its crosses.”

“Let us be reminded that, just as our Holy Father Augustine did, there is always grace on the cross,” the Filipino religious superior said. “We his Augustinian family stand united in prayer and support, confident that God’s grace will sustain him in his sacred mission.”

Religious priests who had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo during his visits to India in 2004 and 2006 have also expressed their joy with the news of the Church’s first Augustinian pope, Agenzia Fides reported on Friday.

“When he was here, we knew him as an extraordinarily simple person, down-to-earth, always ready to face the difficulties of everyday life,” said Father Jacob Mullassery, OSA, who accompanied him on both visits.   

“Before each meeting or pastoral activity, he spent a long time in silent Eucharistic adoration,” recalled Father Metro Xavier, OSA. “He demonstrated a profound love for the Church and total reverence for her magisterium — his spiritual life gave us a testimony of prayer and simplicity.”

In Australia, pastors of Holy Spirit Parish in Sydney also shared their pride on social media for having hosted the new Holy Father during his visit to their church in 2005. 

“We rejoice in the election of our dear brother Robert Cardinal Prevost, OSA, as Roman pontiff … God bless our new pope,” the Facebook post read. “The [then] prior general of the Augustinian order visited our parish and presided over Mass on Dec. 16, 2005.”

Rome Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 08:57 am (CNA).

I will begin with a word in English, and the rest is in Italian. But I want to repeat the words from the responsorial Psalm: “I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels.”

And indeed, not just with me but with all of us. My brother cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the ministry of Peter.

You have called me to carry that cross, and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.

[Continuing in Italian] “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). In these words, Peter, asked by the Master, together with the other disciples, about his faith in him, expressed the patrimony that the Church, through the apostolic succession, has preserved, deepened, and handed on for 2,000 years.

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God: the one Savior who alone reveals the face of the Father.

In him, God, in order to make himself close and accessible to men and women, revealed himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young person, and in the mature features of a man (cf. , 22), finally appearing to his disciples after the Resurrection with his glorious body. He thus showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities.

Peter, in his response, understands both of these things: the gift of God and the path to follow in order to allow himself to be changed by that gift. They are two inseparable aspects of salvation entrusted to the Church to be proclaimed for the good of the human race. Indeed, they are entrusted to us, who were chosen by him before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs (cf. Jer 1:5), reborn in the waters of Baptism and, surpassing our limitations and with no merit of our own, brought here and sent forth from here, so that the Gospel might be proclaimed to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).

In a particular way, God has called me by your election to succeed the Prince of the Apostles, and has entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator (cf. 1 Cor 4:2) for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church. He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill (cf. Rev 21:10), an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world. And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings – like the monuments among which we find ourselves – but rather through the holiness of her members. For we are the people whom God has chosen as his own, so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (cf. 1 Pet 2:9).

Peter, however, makes his profession of faith in reply to a specific question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). The question is not insignificant. It concerns an essential aspect of our ministry, namely, the world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential, its questions and its convictions.

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” If we reflect on the scene we are considering, we might find two possible answers, which characterize two different attitudes. 

First, there is the world’s response. Matthew tells us that this conversation between Jesus and his disciples takes place in the beautiful town of Caesarea Philippi, filled with luxurious palaces, set in a magnificent natural landscape at the foot of Mount Hermon, but also a place of cruel power plays and the scene of betrayals and infidelity. This setting speaks to us of a world that considers Jesus a completely insignificant person, at best someone with an unusual and striking way of speaking and acting. And so, once his presence becomes irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements, this “world” will not hesitate to reject and eliminate him.

Then there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question: that of ordinary people. For them, the Nazarene is not a charlatan, but an upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel. That is why they follow him, at least for as long as they can do so without too much risk or inconvenience. Yet to them he is only a man, and therefore, in times of danger, during his passion, they too abandon him and depart disappointed.

What is striking about these two attitudes is their relevance today. They embody notions that we could easily find on the lips of many men and women in our own time, even if, while essentially identical, they are expressed in different language.

Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.

These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.

Today, too, there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman. This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism.

This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then, to do so as a Church, experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all (cf. Lumen Gentium, 1).

I say this first of all to myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of Rome and, according to the well-known expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, am called to preside in charity over the universal Church (cf. Letter to the Romans, Prologue). Saint Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: “Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body” (Letter to the Romans, IV, 1). Ignatius was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena – and so it happened – but his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority. It is to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified (cf. Jn 3:30), to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him.

May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.

CNA Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 08:40 am (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Follow here for news and information about the 266th successor to St. Peter:

CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On May 8, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV by the College of Cardinals as the 266th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267th pope and the first from the United States.  

Here are 14 things to know about Pope Leo XIV:

1. Robert Francis Prevost was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph. 

2. His father was a World War II Navy veteran and school superintendent; his mother was a librarian who was very involved in parish life.

3. The new pope speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese.

4. He earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977 before pursuing his religious vocation.

5. He completed his secondary studies at the minor seminary of the Augustinians in 1973 in Michigan. In 1977, he became a member of the Order of St. Augustine and took his solemn vows in 1981. 

6. He completed a master of divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He went on to teach canon law in seminaries during his time in Peru.  

7. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, by Archbishop Jean Jadot in Rome.

8. He served extensively in Peru from 1985 to 1998, working as a parish pastor, seminary teacher, and diocesan official. He was also part of the leadership of Caritas Peru, the Church’s charitable organization.

9. After being elected the head of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, he returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

10. Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator and then bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and received episcopal consecration on Dec. 12, 2014, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Chiclayo.

11. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis on Sept. 30, 2023. 

12. While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made him a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Francis made him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. 

13. His episcopal motto — which is a bishop’s personal motto — is “In illo uno unum,” which means “In the one Christ we are one,” reflecting his commitment to unity.

14. Prior to becoming pope, he had an active X account — the first to have his own social media account before becoming pope.

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 04:57 am (CNA).

Just hours after being elected the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has three appointments on his agenda: a Mass with cardinals, praying the Regina Caeli, and greeting journalists and media who covered the conclave.

According to Vatican News, Leo XIV will celebrate a Mass at 11 a.m. Rome time with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.

Then he will lead his first Regina Caeli, a Marian prayer recited especially during the Easter season, at Roman noon on Sunday.

Rather than leading the prayer from a window of the Apostolic Palace, as popes have customarily done on Sundays for the Angelus or Regina Caeli, he is scheduled to appear again at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, as he did after the “habemus papam” announcement on May 8.

On the following morning, the new pope will greet the journalists and media professionals who have been in Rome to cover the funeral of Pope Francis, the “sede vacante,” and the conclave.

After his election on May 8, the 69-year-old pope returned to the building where he has been living in Rome, the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio, a Vatican building housing the offices of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the apartments of some Vatican officials.

Photos shared on X by Xaviere Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, show Leo XIV greeting Becquart and taking a “selfie” with her and others during his surprise visit to the Palazzo Sant’Uffizio after he was announced as pope.

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 15:52 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8 — the first pope from the United States. 

Smiling and waving while wearing more traditional papal garb than his predecessor — and appearing to hold back tears at certain points — Leo blessed the cheering masses assembled in St. Peter’s Square, proclaiming in confident Italian: “Peace be with you all!”

An Augustinian and a canon lawyer, Prevost spent over a decade ministering in South America before being called back to the U.S. to head the Midwest Augustinians and was later elected prior general of the Augustinian order, serving in that role for a dozen years. He later returned to South America after Pope Francis in 2014 appointed him bishop in Chiclayo, Peru. Francis later called him to Rome in 2023 to head the highly influential Dicastery for Bishops. 

Prevost, 69, was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago. He is of Italian, French, and Spanish descent. He studied at an Augustinian minor seminary in Michigan and later earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. 

He officially entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1978, making his solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1982 after studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. 

After being ordained, he earned a doctorate in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas (also known as the Angelicum) in 1987. 

Prevost returned to Chicago for a short time in 1987, serving as pastor for vocations and director of missions for the Midwest Augustinians (Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel). He was then sent to Peru, where he served the Augustinians in various capacities including as a regional ecclesiastical judge and teacher of canon law in the diocesan seminary for Trujillo, Peru, for 10 years.

After being elected the head of the Midwest Augustinians, Prevost returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014, and he was ordained titular bishop of Sufar that same year.

While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made Prevost a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Francis made Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In that capacity, Prevost played a key role in the selection process for diocesan bishops around the world and in the investigation of allegations against bishops.

In 2023, Prevost about what he considered to be the “portrait of a bishop.”

“We are often preoccupied with teaching doctrine, the way of living our faith, but we risk forgetting that our first task is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ and to bear witness to our closeness to the Lord,” he told Vatican News.

“This comes first: to communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus,” he added. “It means that we ourselves are living it and sharing this experience.”

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in a Sept. 30, 2023,

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 15:32 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV greeted the world for the first time on Thursday with the words “Peace be with you all.”

The 69-year-old new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the first pope from the United States on Thursday. A native of Chicago, Leo spoke in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, addressing the hundreds of thousands of people waiting in the square and streets below.

“Peace be with you all. Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who has given his life for God’s flock. I too would like that this greeting of peace enters into your heart, reaching your families, and all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to all the earth. Peace be with you,” Leo said in his opening lines.

The identity of the new pope was announced just over an hour after white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinal electors watched from balconies flanking the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as Cardinal Dominique Mamberti declared in Latin: “Habemus papam!”

Minutes later, Pope Leo XIV appeared to enormous cheers from the excited crowd.

The peace of the risen Christ, he said, is a “disarming, humble, and persevering peace” that comes from God — a God who “loves us all unconditionally.”

He recalled his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who blessed Rome on Easter Sunday just hours before his death. “Allow me,” Leo said, “to follow that same blessing.”

“God loves us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him like a bridge to be reached by God and his love,” Leo said.

The pope asked those present to help the Church to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, working for unity and peace. He thanked Pope Francis and the cardinals who chose him to be the successor of St. Peter, history’s first pope.

The pope added that he wants to “walk together … as a united Church, always searching for peace, justice, and trying to always work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.”

Pointing out that he is a member of the Augustinian religious order, Leo paraphrased the words of his founder, St. Augustine, who once said in a sermon: “With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop.”

In a special greeting to the Catholic Church of Rome, of which he is bishop, Leo said: “We must learn together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive, like this square with its ‘arms’ open to all, everyone who sees our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”

Breaking off from Italian into Spanish, the pope greeted the people of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where he was bishop from 2015 until Pope Francis brought him to the Vatican as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.

Speaking again in Italian, the pope said the faithful want “a synodal Church, one that looks always for peace, for charity, and to be close to those who suffer.”

Recalling the day’s feast day of Our Lady of Pompei, Pope Leo invited those present to pray a Hail Mary with him “for this new mission, but for the whole Church, for peace in the world.”

After the prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the new pope then bestowed his first apostolic blessing, “urbi et orbi,” on the city and the world.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 12:11 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 6:09 p.m. Rome time on Thursday, signaling that the College of Cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the bells of the basilica began to toll, confirming the election of a new pontiff. The crowds gathered as word spread throughout Rome that a new pope had been chosen.

The new pontiff appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at approximately 7:25 p.m. local time, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals and prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, announced in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!”

(“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”)

Before appearing on the balcony, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV spent time in the “Room of Tears,” a small chamber adjacent to the Sistine Chapel. This traditionally named room is where new pontiffs first don the papal vestments and have a moment of private prayer and reflection as they absorb the magnitude of their election to the Chair of St. Peter.

Following the announcement, Leo XIV addressed the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and those watching around the world, offering his first blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) as the new Roman pontiff.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

India’s Cardinal George Koovakad holds the daily task of drawing the names of nine cardinal electors to serve in special roles before each round of voting in the conclave currently underway to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter. 

As the most junior member of the College of Cardinals, Koovakad — the former prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue — is tasked with drawing out the names of three cardinal scrutineers, three cardinal infirmarii, and three cardinal revisers for every morning and afternoon voting session until a new pontiff is chosen, according to the Vatican’s apostolic constitution . 

Among the 133 cardinal electors sequestered inside the Vatican, the first three names randomly selected by Koovakad, as the college’s junior cardinal deacon, are the “scrutineers” responsible for counting and verifying the votes during the papal conclave.

To ensure the secrecy of each vote, scrutineers collect the folded ballot papers from the cardinal electors and place them into a box, which is then shaken several times to mix the ballots. Scrutineers are also tasked with opening the ballot boxes, reading each ballot aloud, and writing down the names of the cardinal voted for in an official document.    

The next three names drawn by the Indian cardinal are the “infirmarii” who are called to collect the votes of sick cardinal electors staying in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta who are unable to be physically present inside the Sistine Chapel with the other cardinals.

As part of the conclave voting process, infirmarii take ballot papers and a locked ballot box with an opening to the cardinal electors that are confined to their rooms due to ill health. After these votes are cast, infirmarii take the ballot box containing the ballot papers to the Sistine Chapel for counting.   

Lastly, Koovakad chooses three “revisers” by lot as part of the conclave voting process. Revisers are responsible for checking the ballots and ensuring scrutineers have “performed their task exactly and faithfully,” according to the norms outlined in . 

Throughout the conclave, Koovakad also serves as the porter who opens and closes the doors of the Sistine Chapel when necessary, including when the infirmarii need to bring ballot papers and collect the votes of sick cardinals. 

Until a cardinal has the 89 votes — a two-thirds majority — required to become the next pope, Koovakad must continue his task of drawing by lot the nine cardinal electors tasked with ensuring the accountability and secrecy of the conclave elections.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 10:20 am (CNA).

It’s probably the most-watched smoke in the world: The billows of exhaust unfurl before the watchful eyes of thousands every conclave — the only communication allowed from the cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel to decide the next pope.

Whether it is black — meaning the majority has not been reached — or white — meaning the new pope has been elected — is a matter of extreme importance to the billions of Catholics living around the world.

But where does the smoke come from and how are the two colors produced?

It all starts with an iron stove set up in the Sistine Chapel. This particular stove has been used in each conclave since 1939, when Pope Pius XII was elected. A second stove, added in 2005, is also used.

In the older stove, the smoke is produced from burning the ballots on which the cardinal electors cast their votes, together with other documents from the process. The papers are placed in an upper door of the small stove, which is just over 3 feet tall and about 1.5 feet wide.

To prevent any confusion about the color of the smoke, in the 2005 conclave that gave the Church Pope Benedict XVI, a second, more modern stove was also used.

Historically, the white smoke was created by burning the ballots together with dry straw. The black smoke was made from the ballots, wet straw, and with the addition of pitch to darken the color. 

Since 2005, however, chemical compounds have been used (via five cartridges inserted into the more modern stove) to make the colors of the smoke more visibly black and white.

For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, while potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur are used for the black smoke.

When the paper ballots and other documents are burned in the older stove, an electronic system is activated in the newer stove, triggering the cartridges to produce, in sequence, the chemicals to create a colored smoke lasting seven minutes.

To improve the smoke’s draught, the flue is preheated with electric heaters and even has a fan that can be turned on if needed.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The word conclave comes from the Latin “cum clave,” literally “with a key,” which conveys the image of the cardinal electors being locked in the Sistine Chapel until the new pope is elected.

Isolating the cardinals from outside influences began in 1271 when Pope Gregory X, after a conclave that lasted almost three years following the death of Clement IV — and which was marked by external political interference — approved the apostolic constitution , which imposed total isolation for the cardinals in addition to the requirement of continuous voting.

The legislative document prohibited the cardinal electors from receiving messages, visits, or any form of communication with the outside world. It also included pressure measures such as if they had not elected a pope after three days, their food was restricted: First, the most elaborate dishes were eliminated, then even wine.

The importance of secrecy became even more crucial in the modern era. During the 1903 conclave, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria invoked “” — the right of veto enjoyed by some European Catholic monarchies such as Austria, Spain, and France — to invalidate the candidacy of Italian Cardinal Mariano Rampolla through a representative in the Sistine Chapel.

Although the veto did not prevent Rampolla from gaining several supporters, it very likely influenced the final choice.

As soon as he took the chair of Peter, the newly elected Pope Pius X immediately abolished the veto to protect the conclave from all secular interference. The was modified and eventually suspended, but its spirit remains in force in later documents, such as the apostolic constitution of St. John Paul II (1996), which governs the current procedure for modern conclaves.

This document, which was amended by Benedict XVI before his resignation from the papacy in 2013, stipulates that violating the secrecy of the conclave is punishable by automatic excommunication (“latae sententiae”), one of the most severe sanctions under canon law.

However, the recent history of the Catholic Church shows that this secrecy eventually breaks. The 2013 conclave, in which Pope Francis was elected, is a clear example of how, despite strict secrecy, details about the voting rounds and the candidates with the most support were leaked.

Despite the confidentiality required by the process, journalist Gerard O’Connell reconstructed in his book “The Election of Pope Francis” how then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio allegedly received 45 votes in the second round of voting, a figure that rose to 85 in the fifth, thus exceeding the required two-thirds majority. 

He also revealed, citing internal sources, that the candidacies of Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola; Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also supposedly had strong showings in the initial ballots.

Even Pope Francis himself shared anecdotes from the conclave that elected him, such as Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes’ suggestion that he adopt the name Francis in honor of the saint of Assisi.

In 2024, journalist Javier Martínez Brocal published the book “El Sucesor” (“”) in which the late pontiff, the only one with the authority to reveal information about the conclave without violating secrecy, brought to light other details, including those of the 2005 conclave in which Benedict XVI was elected. 

Specifically, Pope Francis revealed that in the 2005 conclave, following the death of St. John Paul II, the cardinal electors used his name to “block the election of Ratzinger and then negotiate a third, different candidate.”

“It so happened that I ended up with 40 of the 115 votes in the Sistine Chapel. It was enough to stop the candidacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, because, if they had continued voting for me, he would not have been able to reach the two-thirds necessary to be elected pope,” he recounted in the book by the Spanish journalist.

Pope Francis, the only one authorized to speak about what was going on in the conclave, stated bluntly: “They used me.”

After making this maneuver public, he made it clear that by voting for him, “the idea of ​​those behind the votes” was not that then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would be elected. “It was a maneuver in all respects. The idea was to block the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. They were using me, but behind the scenes, they were already thinking of proposing another cardinal. They still didn’t agree on who, but they were about to throw out a name,” he emphasized in the book.

In any case, this phenomenon of airing the details of the conclave is not new. In 2005, after the election of Benedict XVI, journalist Lucio Brunelli published a detailed account of the conclave in the magazine based on notes taken by a cardinal. Although these were secondary elements, they made it clear that the wall of silence can sometimes crack.

According to the apostolic constitution, secrecy regarding the dynamics of the conclave also extends to non-elector cardinals, who this week participated in the general congregations, the meetings prior to the conclave.

This obligation, in Latin “graviter onerata ipsorum conscientia,” meaning “it weighs on the conscience of those involved,” underscores the profound moral responsibility to maintain secrecy even after the election has taken place, unless the pope himself grants a special dispensation.

However, the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, is responsible for recording the results of the final vote count in writing, which also allows for controlled historical documentation of the process.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Nutritionist Giorgio Calabrese, an Italian doctor who specializes in nutritional science, prepared the menu for the cardinal electors who have kicked off the conclave to elect the next pope.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the scientific adviser to the Italian Ministry of Health explained in detail the dishes that make up the special conclave menu, designed specifically to provide the necessary energy for the cardinals who will lead a sedentary life for several days.

“Since they won’t be moving around much and have little time because they have four votes a day, I proposed a menu tailored to this circumstance,” he explained.

The specialist emphasized that the cardinals “need to be focused,” and this raises cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone,” which the body produces “through the adrenal glands.”

Cortisol, Calabrese explained, “generates insulin, which normally burns sugar, but also generates fat,” which, he emphasized, “they must take into account.”

To lower cortisol levels, he explained that those from Northern European or American cultures, where savory breakfasts are more common, “are overloading their metabolic system just when they need immediate energy, i.e., simple carbohydrates.”

“So it makes more sense for them not to have bacon, eggs, and meat for breakfast but rather a sweet breakfast, with partially skimmed milk and toast with jam or honey.”

They will also be offered tea or coffee. “This is essential because in the morning they have to deal with the stress of voting,” Calabrese told ACI Prensa.

“Lunch should be light, quick, and tasty, satisfying the palate without overloading with fat,” the nutritionist emphasized.

Therefore, the menu suggests a first course such as light pasta with tomato and fresh basil, or a vegetable or legume risotto, “for good digestion and a dose of carbohydrates that provide energy.”

For the main course, it would be “white meat or grilled, not fried, fish with steamed or grilled vegetables.”

He also emphasized the importance of using “extra virgin” olive oil and toasting the bread to avoid excessive crumbs, as they contain a lot of fat. On the other hand, he noted that the crust “contains carbohydrates rich in fiber.”

“Since they will continue in the afternoon with two more votes, they may take a short nap,” he explained. For dessert, the nutritionist recommended a piece of fruit.

“If they were outside, I would tell them to have ice cream. But since they can’t be, the nuns can give them fresh fruit, like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.”

Calabrese also recommended having “partially skimmed yogurt” mid-afternoon. “They can also have tea, but one with less caffeine, to avoid agitation.”

By evening, they’ve already gone through four votes. “They’re stressed, so they can’t eat pasta carbonara or amatriciana.”

Dinner should be “easy to digest.” Therefore, the proposed menu includes “cooked ham, smoked salmon, bluefish or sardines, tuna without added oil or sauce, and bresaola.”

“All of this can be alternated with fresh cheeses, such as mozzarella,” he added.

Calabrese clarified that if the cardinals desire wine, they should drink it in moderation, and if possible, “only a glass.”

Regarding high-proof alcohol, he explained that “it puts a heavy strain on the liver, and that takes energy away from the brain.”

“They need to keep their minds active and not overtax their liver. That’s why a glass of wine is enough. You drink water to hydrate, you savor wine to nourish yourself,” he pointed out.

In case they don’t like wine, the nutritionist suggested a “Moscato d’Asti, which is only 5% alcohol, is pleasant and low in calories and alcohol.”

Calabrese noted that, since there are 133 cardinals, someone probably has an intolerance or allergy, something that should be taken into account.

If there are celiac patients, he specified, “they can use gluten-free pasta, or rice, which is gluten-free. Also, oats, corn, and quinoa can be substituted.”

If someone is lactose intolerant, “instead of milk or yogurt, they can have tea or coffee.”

Calabrese pointed out that the menu was submitted to the Vatican, but ultimately the final decision is made by the nuns who run St. Martha’s House — the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

In addition, there will be “trusted” laypeople in charge of serving the cardinals as well as several cooks, all of whom are sworn to secrecy, as are the other personnel involved, such as the transportation staff, who were sworn in last Monday.

The chef in charge of the kitchens is also subject to strict secrecy. Therefore, the exact menu reserved for the cardinals during the conclave is unknown.

Furthermore, all meals must be prepared exclusively at St. Martha’s House, as bringing in food prepared outside the Vatican kitchens is strictly prohibited.

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 05:51 am (CNA).

Black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 11:51 a.m. Rome time on Thursday, signaling that the cardinals voting at the conclave have not yet elected a new pope.

The plume of dark smoke indicates that the 133 cardinal electors sequestered inside the chapel have not reached the required two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes — needed to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Thursday marks the second day of voting in the conclave, which began on the afternoon of May 7 with a first round of balloting that also produced black smoke.

Thousands of faithful are gathered in St. Peter’s Square, hoping to witness history.

The cardinals will hold four votes each day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon.

If the new pope is not elected on the first morning ballot, a second ballot is held immediately. Both ballots are burned together, leading to possible smoke around noon Rome time. If, however, the pope is elected on the first morning ballot, the white smoke will appear shortly after 10:30 a.m.

The same process is repeated in the afternoon. After a brief break, two more votes will be held. If neither is conclusive, the smoke is expected around 7 p.m. Rome time. However, if the pope is elected on the first ballot of the afternoon, white smoke would be seen shortly after 5:30 p.m.

Thus, on both Thursday and Friday, observers should be alert for four possible times when the smoke may appear each day: two around noon and two in the evening. 

The cardinals are following a structured regimen during the conclave, beginning each day with Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae followed by transfer to the Sistine Chapel for voting. They remain completely sequestered from the outside world, with no access to phones, internet, or news media.

The historical average length for modern conclaves is approximately three days, though the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 lasted only two days.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 16:29 pm (CNA).

With the start of the conclave May 7, there are five cardinal electors who bring a significant amount of experience to the process.

Four electors — Cardinals Peter Turkson, Philippe Barbarin, Péter Erdő, and Josip Bozanić — became members of the College of Cardinals in 2003 and have participated in two conclaves before this one.

, the archbishop emeritus of Sarajevo, received the red hat in 1994, making him the elector with the most years — nearly 31 — as cardinal. He has also participated in two conclaves: the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict XVI and the 2013 conclave that elected Francis.

At 79 years old, Puljić is able to vote in the 2025 conclave by a margin of just four months. On Sept. 8, he will turn 80 and lose the privilege to elect a pope. 

The archbishop emeritus of Sarajevo, he is known for his role during the war in Bosnia, where he distinguished himself as a voice for peace and a defender of human rights. He was also president of the bishops’ conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a long time.

, 76, was chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences from 2022.

A biblical scholar and influential voice for social justice, the Ghanaian’s first role in the Vatican was as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 2009 to 2017. Pope Francis then chose him as inaugural prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development from 2017 to 2021.

, 74, is a from France, where he was archbishop of Lyon from 2002 to 2020. In 2020, he was acquitted on appeal of a 2019 conviction of failing to report sexual abuse.

Born in Rabat, Morocco, at the time under French protectorate, he served as a missionary in Madagascar and a professor of theology. He was bishop of Moulins from 1998 to 2002.

The 72-year-old , archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and primate of Hungary, is a canonist and academic who has led the Hungarian and European bishops’ conferences for years. He is the author of over 250 studies in the fields of canon law and spirituality. In addition to the 2005 and 2013 conclaves, he has participated in a number of synods.

, 76, archbishop emeritus of Zagreb, Croatia, was a prominent figure in dialogue between the Croatian Church and state, and in promoting justice and peace. He also served for many years as the president of the Croatian bishops’ conference.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 15:44 pm (CNA).

As the conclave gets underway, all eyes turn to the small chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. From this simple metal tube will emerge the long-awaited white smoke that will announce the election of the new pope.

Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney Wednesday evening to the watchful eyes of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square as without a new pontiff.

Beginning Thursday, the cardinals will hold four votes each day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each round of votes is followed by smoke from the chimney, which will be black if still no agreement has been reached, or white if the new pontiff has been elected.

If the new pope is not elected on the first morning ballot, a second ballot is held immediately. Both ballots are burned together, leading to possible smoke around noon Rome time. If, however, the pope is elected on the first morning ballot, the white smoke will appear shortly after 10:30 a.m.

The same process is repeated in the afternoon. After a brief break, two more votes will be held. If neither is conclusive, the smoke is expected around 7 p.m. Rome time. However, if the pope is elected on the first ballot of the afternoon, white smoke would be seen shortly after 5:30 p.m.

Thus, on both Thursday and Friday, observers should be alert for four possible times when the smoke may appear each day: two around noon and two in the evening. 

The smoke is produced by burning the ballot of every cardinal along with chemical compounds that make the smoke black or white. After white smoke appears, the bells of St. Peter’s will ring loudly to confirm the awaited announcement: “Habemus papam!” (“We have a pope!”).

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 15:09 pm (CNA).

Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney Wednesday evening to the watchful eyes of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square as the first day of conclave voting concluded without a new pontiff.

The dark plume emerged at approximately 9 p.m. Rome time, confirming the 133 cardinal electors sequestered inside had not reached the required two-thirds majority — at least 89 votes — needed to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

The College of Cardinals began their deliberations earlier Wednesday following the “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” (“For the Election of the Roman Pontiff”) Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the liturgy that officially opened the conclave proceedings.

Shortly thereafter, the cardinal electors processed into the Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel Thursday morning for two voting sessions before noon (Rome time) and two more in the afternoon. With each inconclusive ballot, will continue to emerge black until the moment a new pope is elected.

When a candidate secures the necessary votes, white smoke will signal to the world that the Catholic Church has a new shepherd.

Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the senior cardinal deacon, will then appear on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to make the traditional “Habemus papam” announcement, revealing the identity of the 266th successor to St. Peter.

During the 12 general congregations leading up to the conclave, cardinals identified several key challenges facing the Church, including evangelization, vocations, sexual abuse, Vatican finances, synodality, and global conflicts.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

The newly elected pope will leave the Sistine Chapel at the conclusion of the conclave and walk into a small antechamber, known as the “Room of Tears,” to be vested into his papal attire for the first time. 

Here is a list of the garments you may see the new pope wearing once he steps out onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to greet the people and impart his first “urbi et orbi” blessing:  

The — also known as a “zuchetto” or “pileolus” — covers the front and back of the pope’s head, signifying the authority of the pontiff above other prelates. It has an ecclesiastical history that dates back to the 13th century and is similar to the brimless hat worn by ancient Romans. 

The — a long-sleeved, ankle-length garment — is tailor-made from 100% wool or a wool blend that signifies the innocence, charity, and holiness of the papal office, according to 13th-century French Bishop William Duranti. Cassocks, which have historical links to the Roman robe known as the “caracalla,” are traditionally made with 33 buttons to represent the 33 years of Jesus’ life before his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

A made of linen or silk, also called a “fascia,” is worn over the cassock just above the waist and represents the pope’s devotion, dedication, and submission to Jesus Christ’s call to serve and look after his Church. The fascia is a symbol of readiness to minister to the people of God.

A or “pellegrina” attached to the cassock is worn over the pope’s shoulders. This garment can also be worn by cardinals, bishops, and priests, but only the pope can wear the pellegrina, which resembles the capes worn by Catholic pilgrims in the past, in white.   

The is a knee-length garment worn over the cassock that is used by prelates as an indicator of their clerical ranking and a physical reminder of their call to serve the Church. It is used for nonliturgical ceremonies and symbolizes the dignity and spiritual purity of the one who wears it.  

A , a loose linen or cotton vestment worn over the rochet, symbolizes the white robe of baptism and rebirth into the life of Jesus Christ. The white or ivory color represents the spiritual purity, holiness, and humility of the cleric who wears it.

A , known as a “mozetta,” which falls at the shoulders, symbolizes the pope’s authority and his call to compassion.  

The is worn over the mozzetta near the pectoral muscle that protects the heart. In a gesture of sorrow for sin — or “peccatum” in Latin — you beat your breast since it is through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that hearts are reconciled to God and sins are forgiven, explained Bishop Austin Anthony Vetter of Helena, Montana, in a 2020 video posted by the diocese on Facebook. 

The is placed on the pope’s finger following his election as a sign of his reign as the new pontiff and successor of St. Peter.

A with golden embroidery is worn over the shoulders. This garment represents the pope’s priestly consecration and responsibility to lead the Church as a good shepherd who carries his sheep on his shoulders and bears the yoke or “sweet burden” of Jesus Christ.

A has been used by several popes over the centuries and has its origins in the early Church and the ancient Roman Empire.The color represents the passion of Jesus and the blood of martyrs, according to Liturgical Arts Journal founder Shawn Tribe.

CNA Staff, May 7, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

When Pope Leo XIII was elected in 1878, the story goes that he wept. At age 67, he thought he was too old for the job. (He lived to be the second-oldest pope and died at the age of 93). 

When in 1958 Pope John XXIII looked in the mirror at his white vestments — pinned in various places due to his large size — he joked that he would be a “disaster on television.” 

It’s no wonder that, for the newly-elected popes throughout history, the antechamber of the Sistine Chapel holding the papal garments became more than just a room in which to change their clothes.

The small room where the newly-elected pope changes from the red clothes of a cardinal to the white vestments of a pope is known as the “Room of Tears,” (“Stanza delle Lacrime” in Italian). In case that wasn’t weighty enough, others call it the “Crying Room.” 

The Room of Tears is just a few feet away from the Sistine Chapel, where the monumental decision of the papal election is made. 

After the pope-elect accepts his role, thus ending the conclave, the cardinal dean asks him what his papal name will be. Following the decision, the newly elected pope has a few moments in the Room of Tears, where he is dressed in his white papal vestments. Moments later, he will look out upon St. Peter’s Square, greeting the world as pope for the first time.  

The antechamber holds three sizes of papal vestments — small, medium, and large — as well as boxes of papal shoes. 

But beyond just the practical, the small space holds memorabilia and documents as well as the vestments of various popes over the years.  

Pope Francis recalled in his 2025 autobiography “Hope” that after entering the sacristy, he found his episcopal ring in his pocket. He avoided the red velvet cape, known as a mozzetta, and the red shoes — “I have orthopedic shoes; I’m rather flat-footed,” he wrote.  

While the room is usually locked, sometimes people are able to visit the room, which is just to the left of the Sistine Chapel when facing the altar.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 11:55 am (CNA).

With the proclamation of “extra omnes” (“outside everyone”) on the afternoon of May 7, the thick wooden doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed and guarded at every entrance by Swiss Guards while the 133 cardinal electors began the process of choosing the new pope and leader of the universal Catholic Church.

Seated at rows of tables beneath the gaze of Michelangelo’s powerful image of the Last Judgment, before any further discussions or the expected first casting of votes (called the “scrutio”), the cardinal electors will listen to a meditation from 90-year-old Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, the former preacher of the papal household for 44 years.

According to the rubrics for conclaves, Cantalamessa — selected last week by the College of Cardinals — should preach to the electors on the very serious nature of their task and the necessity that they act with right intention, doing their best to carry out the will of God, and willing the good of the whole Church, to elect the next Roman pontiff.

Then, Cantalamessa and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of papal ceremonies, will be the last two people to leave the Sistine Chapel before voting begins. The first view of smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney is expected sometime this evening Rome time.

The session will close with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, the chanting of the “Sub tuum praesidium,” the Church’s oldest Marian hymn.

The rite of procession into the conclave and the swearing of the cardinals began from the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace at 4:30 p.m. Rome time. The cardinals, in order of rank, processed a short distance into the Sistine Chapel to the chanting of the Litany of Saints, followed by invocations, including a prayer that the Lord “grant to your Church a pontiff who pleases you with the holiness of his life” and “that you pour out upon this conclave the power of your Spirit.”

Inside the Sistine Chapel, each cardinal elector stood before his assigned seat, facing the Book of the Gospels, placed on a lectern in the center of the room.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state during Francis’ pontificate, intoned the “Veni, Creator Spiritus” and then, as celebrant of the rite, prayed: “O Father, who guides and guards your Church, give to your servants the Spirit of intelligence, of truth, of peace, so that they may strive to know your will, and serve you with total dedication. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.”

A moment of silence preceded Parolin’s reading of the oath each cardinal is required to take: “We promise, obligate, and swear that we will faithfully and scrupulously observe all the prescriptions contained in the apostolic constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, … Likewise, we promise, obligate, and swear that whichever of us, by divine disposition, is elected Roman pontiff, will undertake to faithfully carry out the “munus Petrinum” of pastor of the universal Church and will not fail to strenuously affirm and defend the spiritual and temporal rights and freedom of the Holy See. Above all, we promise and swear to observe with the utmost fidelity and with all, both clerics and laity, secrecy about everything that in any way pertains to the election of the Roman pontiff and about what takes place in the place of the election, concerning directly or indirectly the ballot; not to violate in any way this secrecy either during or after the election of the new pontiff, unless explicit authorization has been granted by the pontiff himself; never to lend support or favor to any interference, opposition, or other any form of intervention by which secular authorities of whatever order and degree, or any group of persons or individuals who wish to interfere in the election of the Roman pontiff.”

Then, each of the 133 cardinals took their turn at the lectern and, placing his hand on the Book of the Gospels, said: “So help me God and these holy Gospels which I touch with my hand.”

Ravelli then declared “extra omnes,” all assistants and ministers left the room, and the livestream turned off.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 11:19 am (CNA).

Some of the people who are most desperate for hope — including suffering Christians in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and Africa — will be represented in Rome this week in a pilgrimage for the 2025 Jubilee Year. 

Over 1,000 people will take part in the pilgrimage, organized by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). ACN supports Christians around the world who face major difficulties in practicing their faith, very often because of religious persecution. The pilgrimage, which takes place May 7–10, will have the participation of people from 23 countries. 

Coincidentally, the event begins on the day when cardinals will gather to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, April 21. The late pope designated 2025 a jubilee year and a time for Catholics to renew themselves as “pilgrims of hope.”

The theme of hope, said ACN president Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, “resonates especially with our pontifical foundation, since it is the underlying reason for the work we do: to take hope to those places where God weeps.”

Pilgrims will hear from some of the most dramatic examples of Christian persecution in the 21st century, including Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priest Redemptorist Father Bohdan Heleta, who was held prisoner during the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as representatives from Syria and Lebanon, who will share their experience in the region and the spiritual resilience of the Christians of the Middle East.  

In addition, Father Olivier Niampa of Burkina Faso, which ranks high on the list of countries plagued by terrorism, will share how Christians survive and keep the faith in a region under constant threat.

The speakers will share their testimony at a May 8 event in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Piacenza said the ACN pilgrimage is a concrete way of experiencing the jubilee in communion with the suffering Church in honor of those Christians who continue to give up their lives out of love for Jesus Christ. 

“The most convincing testimony to this hope is provided by the martyrs, who renounced life itself here below rather than betray their Lord,” the cardinal said, quoting from Pope Francis’ bull inaugurating the jubilee.

Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN International, explained that “the 2025 Jubilee is centered on hope, and hope was also a crucial issue for Pope Francis, and for us at ACN. With over 5,000 projects every year, in 130 countries, our mission is to console and give material aid but especially to provide hope to persecuted and discriminated Christians, and to Christian communities in grave need.” 

In an act of communion with the universal Church, benefactors and members from the foundation’s 23 national offices, in union with ACN International, will jointly take part in this pilgrimage to strengthen their faith and their commitment to the suffering Church. Although a private audience with the Holy Father had been originally scheduled, this and other events have been canceled due to the pope’s passing and current conclave.

Citing Pope Francis’ support for the mission of ACN, which was designated a pontifical foundation under Pope Benedict XVI, Lynch said that praying at Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major “will strengthen us to renew our mission. As a pontifical foundation, we will also be praying to be at the disposal of the future pope, as we have been since the first days of our work.”  

The aim of the ACN-organized pilgrimage is not only to commemorate and accompany but also to help participants undergo their own spiritual renewal. They will pass through the Holy Door in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a tradition during a holy year that brings spiritual benefits.

“Passing through the Holy Door is not an act of magic but a gesture which implies meditation, prayer, and conversion,” Piacenza pointed out. “The true pilgrim recognizes that he has been seduced by false idols — selfishness, pride, money — and wishes to be cured by God’s mercy. Therefore, crossing the threshold of the Holy Door becomes an act of love and humility.”

Though the cardinal participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013, he is now over 80 and will not be able to take part in the one that begins today to elect Francis’ successor.

CNA Staff, May 7, 2025 / 10:38 am (CNA).

John, Pius, Leo, and Alexander. These are just a few of the names popes have taken over the centuries. When the white smoke appears and a new pope is chosen, he is asked: “By what name shall you be called?”

This tradition began in 533. Popes during the earlier centuries kept their birth names after their election. There were some popes who chose to change their names before this time, such as Mercurius. He felt it was inappropriate to be named after the pagan Roman god Mercury and decided to take the name John II after his predecessor John I, who was venerated as a martyr. 

The last pope to use their baptismal name was Marcellus II in 1555.

Although this has been a tradition for centuries, there are no set guidelines that a pope must follow. Papal names are freely chosen and the individual can choose to keep their birth name if they please. Most importantly, names are chosen and are not given to them.

Over the years, popes have decided to honor their predecessors, as well as saints, mentors, and even family members.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani became the first pope to take a double name. Luciani, who became John Paul I, decided to honor his two immediate predecessors — John XXIII and Paul VI. After his short pontificate came to an end, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected pope. Wojtyla desired to continue his predecessor’s work and became the second pope to take a double name as John Paul II.

Many popes will also choose to honor a saint whose work here on earth emulates what they hope to achieve during their pontificate. 

Pope Francis made history when he chose a name that had never been used by a pope before. that the name came to him when a cardinal embraced him and reminded him not to forget the poor.

“It was then that I thought of St. Francis. And then I thought of wars and about peace and that’s how the name came to me — a man of peace, a poor man,” he said. 

With St. Francis of Assisi in mind, Pope Francis’ pontificate embodied a spirit of caring for the poor and spreading peace. 

Another example is Pope Benedict XVI, who chose to honor Benedict XV and St. Benedict of Nursia.

In his , Pope Benedict XVI said: “I chose to call myself Benedict XVI ideally as a link to the venerated pontiff, Benedict XV, who guided the Church through the turbulent times of the First World War … The name Benedict also evokes the extraordinary figure of the great ‘patriarch of western monasticism,’ St. Benedict of Nursia, co-patron of Europe with Cyril and Methodius. The progressive expansion of the Benedictine order which he founded exercised an enormous influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the European continent. For this reason, St. Benedict is much venerated in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, my own land of origin; he constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe and a powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European culture and civilization.”

So, what are the most popular papal names?

John is the most popular with 23 popes taking this name. The name Gregory has been used by 16 popes and the name Benedict has also been used by 16 popes. Clement was the name of 14 popes; Innocent was the name of 13 popes; and Pius was the name of 12 popes. 

There are 44 papal names that have only been used once. Some of these names are: Anacletus, Constantine, Cornelius, Francis, Hilarius, Linus, Marcellinus, Mark, Peter, and Valentine.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 7, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In the midst of the pre-conclave atmosphere, with an eye toward the election of the new pope, the Catholic Church experienced another moment of profound hope with the ordination of 23 new Legionaries of Christ priests on May 3 in St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica, one of the four great papal basilicas in Rome.

The ceremony, which was initially to be conducted by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, of the Catholic Church, was delegated to Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas, Mexican bishop of the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal, due to Farrell being engaged in his official duties at this crucial time for the Church.

In his homily, Cárdenas emphasized the urgent need for priests “who know how to come out of themselves, out of their comfort zones. It needs priests, not men settled into their surroundings and living in comfort.”

He also emphasized that the Catholic Church is undergoing a full renewal process and requires priests who are “zealous and deeply rooted, courageous, not complacent or idle, who know how to undertake things, be active and take initiative, who know how to give everything for the mission.”

He therefore called on the new priests to dedicate their lives to prayer, reminding them that “a vocation is born in prayer, matures in prayer, and bears fruit in prayer.”

The priests come from various countries: one from Argentina, three from Colombia, one from El Salvador, nine from Mexico, two from Venezuela, one from the United States, and two from Brazil. From Europe, two were ordained from Germany, one from Spain, and one from France.

This day also marked a significant milestone for the Legionaries of Christ. According to its website, 1,309 members at the end of 2024, of whom 1,033 are priests, than in 2023.

Mexico is the country to the congregation, after the United States and Spain. The Legionaries of Christ’s formative process lasts 12 years before priestly ordination.

Currently, the congregation has a permanent presence in 23 countries and is organized into nine territories as well as two areas headed by a delegate. It also has a community of student priests in Rome, an International Pontifical Seminary in the same city, and an interdiocesan seminary and theological institute in São Paulo, Brazil.

Rome Newsroom, May 7, 2025 / 05:27 am (CNA).

At the Mass for the election of a new pope, the dean of the College of Cardinals made “a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church” ahead of the conclave on Wednesday, urging the cardinal electors to remember that they will cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel before God “in whose sight each person will one day be judged.”

Cardinals from more than 70 countries processed into St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7 for the solemn Mass “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” — the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff— ahead of the start of the conclave later in the day.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the liturgy, for unity in the Church. “Among the tasks of every successor of Peter is that of fostering communion: communion of all Christians with Christ; communion of the bishops with the pope; communion of the bishops among themselves,” he said.

“The unity of the Church is willed by Christ; a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity, provided that full fidelity to the Gospel is maintained,” he added.

More than 200 cardinals concelebrated the Mass, including many of the 133 eligible to vote for the next pope. Although Re led the liturgy and delivered the homily, he will not participate in the conclave due to his age.

“We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history,” Re .

“Let us pray that God will grant the Church a Pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterized by great technological progress but which tends to forget God,” he added.

The Mass for the Election of a Roman Pontiff began with the entrance antiphon, “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart and mind.”  In the collect prayer, the cardinal asked God for “a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care.”

Scripture readings included passages from Isaiah 61, Psalm 88, Ephesians 4:11-16, and chapter 15 of the Gospel of John. The Gospel, proclaimed in Latin, included Jesus’ words to his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”

In his homily, Cardinal Re reflected on the “highest human and ecclesial responsibility” facing the cardinal electors and called upon them to remember that they will cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel in “the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged.”

“Pope John Paul II, in his Roman Triptych, expressed the hope that during the hours of voting on this weighty decision, Michelangelo’s looming image of Jesus the Judge would remind everyone of the greatness of the responsibility of placing the ‘supreme keys’ (Dante) in the correct hands,” Re said.

“Let us pray, then, that the Holy Spirit, who in the last hundred years has given us a series of truly holy and great Pontiffs, will give us a new Pope according to God’s heart for the good of the Church and of humanity,” he added.

Prayers of the faithful during the Mass were offered in French, Swahili, Portuguese, Malayalam, Chinese, and German, asking the Lord to fill the cardinal electors with his Holy Spirit “with understanding and good counsel, wisdom and discernment.”

In the prayer after communion, Cardinal Re prayed, “may the wondrous grace of your majesty gladden us with the gift of a shepherd who will instruct your people by his virtues and imbue the minds of the faithful with the truth of the Gospel.”

At the end of the Mass, the cardinals and congregation sang the Regina Caeli, the traditional Easter hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The liturgy marked the final public act of the College of Cardinals before entering into the secretive conclave process. Later in the afternoon, the 133 electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace for prayer before processing to the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave will begin.

After taking an oath of secrecy and invoking the Holy Spirit with the singing of Veni Creator, they will listen to a meditation by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa before casting the first vote. While a new pope could theoretically be chosen on the first ballot, such a result is considered unlikely.

Following the vote, the cardinals will return to the Casa Santa Marta residence for the night, cut off from the outside world until a new pope is elected.

“May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede with her maternal intercession, so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the minds of the Cardinal electors and help them agree on the pope that our time needs,” Re said.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 7, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Colombian Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio pointed out that the atmosphere among the cardinals is “quite different” from what people who associate a papal conclave “with a democratic election of a president” may imagine.

From Rome, where he is participating as a cardinal elector, the archbishop of Bogotá explained in a video from the Colombian Bishops’ Conference how the College of Cardinals is experiencing the days leading up to the beginning of the Wednesday, May 7, conclave. 

“It’s a very different atmosphere than what most people might imagine, because some associate it with the democratic election of a president, a leader of a country or territory, but it turns out not to be the case. It’s characterized by an atmosphere of prayer from beginning to end,” he stated.

“The great protagonist is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who leads, he is the one who holds the reins of the history of the Church,” he added.

Starting Wednesday, 133 cardinal electors from 71 countries are gathering in the Sistine Chapel, making this conclave the largest and most universal in the history of the Catholic Church.

In this regard, the cardinal archbishop said the preceeding days of holding general congregations have served to help the cardinals get to know one another.

Rueda also remembered the late Pope Francis as “a mature fruit of the evangelization of Latin America” and the experience of “those bishops close to the parish communities, to all the people who experience the hope of the Latin American people, which they place in Christ Jesus and in the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Finally, Rueda asked the faithful to continue praying that the election of the next pope “may be according to the will of God the Father.”

“This moment is a moment of the Church, and whoever it may be, he is the chosen one of the Lord, he is the chosen one of Jesus Christ the Lord,” he said.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 04:43 am (CNA).

We read in the Acts of the Apostles that after Christ’s ascension into heaven and while waiting for Pentecost, all were united and persevering in prayer together with Mary, the mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14).

This is precisely what we are doing a few hours before the beginning of the conclave, under the gaze of Our Lady beside the altar, in this basilica which rises above the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

We feel united with the entire people of God in their sense of faith, love for the pope, and confident expectation.

We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history.

To pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance. This is a human act for which every personal consideration must be set aside, keeping in mind and heart only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and of humanity.

In the Gospel that has been proclaimed, words resound that bring us to the heart of the supreme message and testament of Jesus, delivered to his apostles on the evening of the Last Supper in the upper room: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” As if to clarify this “as I have loved you,” and to indicate how far our love must go, Jesus goes on to say: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12-13).

This is the message of love, which Jesus calls a “new” commandment. It is new because it transforms into something positive, and greatly expands, the admonition of the Old Testament that said, “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you.”

The love that Jesus reveals knows no limits and must characterize the thoughts and actions of all his disciples, who must always show authentic love in their behavior and commit themselves to building a new civilization, what Paul VI called the “civilization of love.” Love is the only force capable of changing the world.

Jesus gave us an example of this love at the beginning of the Last Supper with a surprising gesture: He humbled himself in the service of others, washing the feet of the apostles, without discrimination, and not excluding Judas, who would betray him.

This message of Jesus connects to what we heard in the first reading of the Mass, in which the prophet Isaiah reminded us that the fundamental quality of pastors is love to the point of complete self-giving.

The liturgical texts of this Eucharistic celebration, then, invite us to fraternal love, to mutual help and to commitment to ecclesial communion and universal human fraternity. Among the tasks of every successor of Peter is that of fostering communion: communion of all Christians with Christ; communion of the bishops with the pope; communion of the bishops among themselves. This is not a self-referential communion but one that is entirely directed toward communion among persons, peoples, and cultures, with a concern that the Church should always be a “home and school of communion.”

This is also a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church on the path traced out by Christ to the apostles. The unity of the Church is willed by Christ; a unity that does not mean uniformity but a firm and profound communion in diversity, provided that full fidelity to the Gospel is maintained.

Each pope continues to embody Peter and his mission and thus represents Christ on earth; he is the rock on which the Church is built (cf. Mt 16:18).

The election of the new pope is not a simple succession of persons, yet it is always the Apostle Peter who returns.

The cardinal electors will cast their votes in the Sistine Chapel, the place, as the apostolic constitution states, “where everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged.”

In his “Roman Triptych,” Pope John Paul II expressed the hope that during the hours of voting on this weighty decision, Michelangelo’s looming image of Jesus the judge would remind everyone of the greatness of the responsibility of placing the “supreme keys” (Dante) in the correct hands.

Let us pray, then, that the Holy Spirit, who in the last hundred years has given us a series of truly holy and great pontiffs, will give us a new pope according to God’s heart for the good of the Church and of humanity.

Let us pray that God will grant the Church a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterized by great technological progress but which tends to forget God.

Today’s world expects much from the Church regarding the safeguarding of those fundamental human and spiritual values without which human coexistence will not be better nor bring good to future generations.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of the Church, intercede with her maternal intercession, so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the minds of the cardinal electors and help them agree on the pope that our time needs.

Vatican City, May 7, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

As the cardinals gather in conclave beginning today, May 7, the Church and all people of goodwill are invited to pray this prayer given by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word:

The (MFVA) were founded in 1987 by Mother Angelica (foundress of EWTN) and have a primary apostolate to communicate the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith through word and example. The friars provide generously for the spiritual and sacramental needs of the Eternal Word Television Network, the Poor Clare nuns, and the Christian faithful.

ACI Prensa Staff, May 6, 2025 / 17:41 pm (CNA).

When a new pope is elected, there are two signs that mark that historic moment: the white smoke (“fumata bianca” in Italian) erupting from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the formula “habemus papam” pronounced by the cardinal protodeacon from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking the square of the same name.

This is the history of both traditions:

The history of the white smoke, which indicates that the cardinals have elected a new successor of St. Peter, is ancient. In 1274, at the Second Council of Lyons, Pope Gregory X, in a document titled , determined the procedure for holding a conclave. 

There he specified that the election would be done in isolation and with strict secrecy. For this reason, and to avoid any communication with the outside, the smoke signal was eventually adopted as part of the ritual. The tradition of burning ballots goes back to at least 1417, and likely before then, according to historian Frederic J. Baumgartner. The addition of the white spoke to announce the election of a new pope is more recent, however. Baumgartner traces it to 1914, with the election of Pope Benedict XV.

If the smoke coming out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel is black, it means that none of the proposed candidates has reached two-thirds of the votes needed to be elected. If the smoke is white, the Church has a new universal pastor. 

In ancient times, the method to give the smoke these colors was to burn the ballots used in the voting with a bit of wet straw so that it would come out black, or dry so as to obtain white smoke. 

Nowadays, and due to some episodes that caused confusion, special chemical compounds and a procedure that includes two different tubes, one for each color of smoke, are used. 

In addition, a bell is rung, part of the ritual introduced when Pope Benedict XVI was elected, which confirms the smoke is white and a new pope has been elected. 

The announcement that a new pontiff has been elected is formulated in Latin, and while its best-known words are “habemus papam,” the expression is officially a bit longer: 

“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: 

Habemus papam; 

Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum [prænomen] Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [nomen], 

qui sibi nomen imposuit [nomen pontificale].”

Translated, the complete formula reads: “I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope! The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Don [given name], cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname], who has imposed on himself the name of [papal name].” 

The text is partially inspired by a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke, which reproduces the words of the angel when he announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk 2:10-12).

The adoption of this formula dates back to 1417 at the election of Pope Martin V. Those who claimed the papal throne before him were Antipope John XXIII (who had convoked the Council of Constance and appointed most of the electors), Antipope Benedict XIII (the only one appointed a cardinal before the Western Schism) and Pope Gregory XII. 

The first two were deposed by the council itself, and Gregory XII abdicated. Two years later, the council elected a new pope. For this reason, the announcement could be interpreted as: “(At last) we have a pope (and only one!).”

Vatican City, May 6, 2025 / 16:41 pm (CNA).

In the days leading up to the conclave to elect the next pope, the College of Cardinals gathered for 12 general congregations at the Vatican to reflect on the state of the Church and the many challenges it faces in the modern world.

The meetings, held from April 22 to May 6, included both cardinal electors under the age of 80 and non-electors over 80, who, while not eligible to vote in the conclave, actively participated in the discussions.

The early sessions focused on procedural matters, including funeral arrangements and confirming that the conclave would begin on May 7. As the days progressed, the cardinals turned their attention to urgent ecclesial and global concerns.

According to daily briefings from the Holy See Press Office, the cardinals addressed a wide range of topics, including evangelization, sexual abuse, Vatican finances, synodality, interreligious dialogue, war and conflict, and the desired profile of the next pope.

Attendance at the general congregations rose steadily over the first days of meetings, starting with approximately 60 cardinals on April 22 and climbing to over 180 by April 29. 

The 12th and final congregation took place on May 6 with 173 cardinals present, 130 of whom were electors.

“Among the main themes that emerged was the reaffirmation that many of the reforms promoted by Pope Francis need to be continued: the fight against abuse, economic transparency, reorganization of the Curia, synodality, commitment to peace, and care for creation,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said of the cardinals’ last congregation meeting.

It should be noted that the general congregation discussions took place behind closed doors without any press access, and the daily summaries of topics covered provided by the Vatican were not all-encompassing. For example, topics addressed in Cardinal Joseph Zen’s intervention on April 30, including a critique of the Synod on Synodality and explicit mention of scandals related to the late Theodore McCarrick and Father Marko Rupnik, were not reflected in the Holy See Press Office’s briefing on the general congregation that day.

Here is a look at some of the challenges that the cardinals discussed ahead of the conclave:

Evangelization emerged as a recurring theme throughout the congregations. On May 5, during the 10th general congregation, there were interventions that focused on the Church’s missionary nature and the transmission of the faith. On May 3, cardinals emphasized the need for a pope with a “prophetic spirit capable of leading a Church that does not close in on itself but knows how to go out and bring light to a world marked by despair,” according to Bruni.

On May 2, the cardinals reflected on evangelization as the heart of Pope Francis’ pontificate. Several interventions highlighted the urgency of effectively communicating the Gospel at all levels of Church life, from parishes to the Roman Curia. Several speakers highlighted the importance of mutual love as the first form of evangelization and another discussed “the hermeneutics of continuity” between the pontificates of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, particularly in relation to the Eucharist and the evangelizing mission of the Church.

On April 30, cardinals heard an intervention on the importance of coherence between the proclamation of the Gospel and the concrete witness of Christian life. Evangelization also featured in discussions on April 28.

Cardinals from conflict zones offered firsthand testimony of the suffering caused by war. On May 5, the discussions included the theme of war and the fragmentation of the world. On May 3, cardinals reflected on the role of the Church and the pope in promoting peace. On May 2, particular attention was paid to the Eastern Churches, described as marked by suffering but also by strong faith.

On May 6, at the opening of the final congregation, the cardinals expressed regret over the lack of progress in peace processes in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions. They noted an intensification of attacks, particularly against civilians, and issued a heartfelt appeal for a permanent ceasefire and the negotiation of a just and lasting peace. The cardinals invited all the faithful to intensify their prayers for peace.

The issue of sexual abuse was discussed explicitly on May 2. Bruni noted that these wounds remain “open” and underlined the importance of awareness and identifying concrete paths for healing. Financial scandals were also mentioned as part of the Church’s “counter-witness.” The issue of abuse was also raised in the April 28 and May 6 sessions.

On April 30, the cardinals discussed the financial situation of the Holy See. Cardinal Reinhard Marx presented an update on economic challenges and proposals for sustainability. Cardinal Kevin Farrell outlined the work of the Committee for Investments, while Cardinal Christoph Schönborn spoke about the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR). Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga provided an update on Vatican property and building renovations. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, apostolic almoner, spoke about the work of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

The Synod on Synodality came up in the interventions during several of the general congregations. On May 5, it was presented as “an expression of an ecclesiology of communion in which all are called to participate, listen, and discern together.” On May 3, some of the cardinals emphasized synodality and collegiality. On May 2, they discussed synodality in relation to mission and the need to overcome secularism. On April 30, several interventions reflected on synodality as an expression of “differentiated co-responsibility” connected to episcopal collegiality, the Holy See Press Office said.

Concerns about polarization within the Church were raised on May 5, with an intervention expressing alarm over internal divisions. On May 3, the cardinals discussed the Church’s dual role to live communion within itself and to promote fraternity in the world. On April 30, an intervention reflected on the suffering caused by ecclesial and social polarization.

During their final congregation, the theme of divisions within the Church and in society was addressed again, along with the way in which the cardinals are called to exercise their role in relation to the papacy.

Vocations were addressed in multiple sessions. On April 30, the topic was linked to the spiritual and pastoral renewal of the Church. On May 5, cardinals spoke about vocations, the family, and the Church’s responsibility to educate the young.

On May 5, the cardinals spoke about the importance of Caritas and its role not only in providing relief but also in defending the poor and bearing witness to the Gospel’s call to justice. In the afternoon session on the same day, they discussed migration, recognizing migrants as a gift to the Church while also stressing the need to accompany them and support their faith.

The cardinals also discussed care for creation, the legacy of Pope Francis, global fraternity, education as a tool for transformation, ecumenical dialogue, the role of the Curia, the importance of canon law, and the centrality of the liturgy.

In the final general congregation on May 6, the cardinals spoke of the “need to make the meetings of the College of Cardinals more significant on the occasion of consistories” in the future, as this would give the cardinals more of a chance to know one another. After 12 general congregations, the hope is the cardinal electors who hail from 70 different countries at least know each other a little better than they did 15 days ago as they begin the momentous task of electing the next successor of Peter.

Vatican City, May 6, 2025 / 15:11 pm (CNA).

Cardinals on Sunday concluded the celebration of nine requiem Masses for the nine days of mourning for Pope Francis. In many cases their homilies emphasized the relatable feelings of worry, fear, and sadness the apostles experienced after Christ’s death, relating it to the “‘sede vacante” and the uncertainty around the election of a new pope — and reminding Catholics of the joy and hope brought by the Resurrection.

They also reflected on the service and legacy of Pope Francis’ pontificate, highlighting his strong work ethic and focus on mercy and offering advice to their fellow cardinals for choosing his successor.

“As in the time of the first disciples, there are successes and also failures, fatigue, and fear” during this time following Pope Francis’ death, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, said on April 28. “The horizon is immense, and temptations creep in that veil the one thing that matters: to desire, seek, and labor in anticipation of ‘a new heaven and a new earth.’” 

Here are some of the other memorable quotes from the nine homilies, which began with Pope Francis’ funeral on April 26 and concluded on May 4, the third Sunday of Easter.

“The risen Jesus appears to his disciples while they are in the upper room where they have fearfully shut themselves in, with the doors locked (John 20:19). Their state of mind is disturbed and their hearts are full of sadness, because the master and shepherd they had followed, leaving everything behind, has been nailed to the cross. They experienced terrible things and feel orphaned, alone, lost, threatened, and helpless.

“The opening image that the Gospel offers us on this Sunday can also well represent the state of mind of all of us, of the Church, and of the entire world. The shepherd whom the Lord gave to his people, Pope Francis, has ended his earthly life and has left us. The grief at his departure, the sense of sadness that assails us, the turmoil we feel in our hearts, the sense of bewilderment: We are experiencing all of this, like the apostles grieving over the death of Jesus.

“The joy of Easter, which sustains us in this time of trial and sadness, is something that can almost be touched in this square today; you can see it etched above all in your faces, dear children and young people who have come from all over the world to celebrate the jubilee [of teenagers]. You come from so many places: from all of the dioceses of Italy, from Europe, from the United States to Latin America, from Africa to Asia, from the United Arab Emirates… with you here, the whole world is truly present!”

“In this time, while the world is burning and few have the courage to proclaim the Gospel and translate it into a concrete and possible vision of the future, humanity appears like sheep without a shepherd. This image leaves the mouth of Jesus as he gazes upon the crowds following him.

“Around him are the apostles, reporting all they had done and taught: the words, gestures, and actions learned from the Master — the proclamation of the coming kingdom of God, the call to conversion, and the signs that gave flesh to the words — a caress, an outstretched hand, disarmed speech, without judgment, liberating, unafraid of contact with impurity. In performing this service, necessary to awaken faith and hope — that evil would not have the last word, that life is stronger than death — they did not even have time to eat.

“Jesus senses the weight of this — and that comforts us now. Jesus, the true shepherd of history in need of salvation, knows the burden placed on each of us in continuing his mission, especially as we find ourselves searching for his first shepherd on earth.

“This cannot be the time for balancing acts, tactics, caution, instincts to turn back, or, worse, revenge and power alliances, but rather we need a radical disposition to enter into God’s dream entrusted to our poor hands.

“Our duty must be to discern and order what has begun, in light of what our mission demands of us, moving toward a new heaven and a new earth, adorning the bride (the Church) for the Bridegroom. Otherwise, we risk clothing the bride according to worldly fashions, guided by ideological claims that tear the unity of Christ’s garment.”

“In this Eucharist we intend to unite ourselves as we can and know how, even in our aridities, distractions, continuous losses of focus on the only thing necessary, to the inexpressible groaning of the Spirit who cries out to God what is pleasing to him and what expresses in fullness the groaning of our nature, which we do not know how to formulate in words, also because we do not even allow ourselves, overwhelmed by haste, the time to know ourselves, to know him, to invoke him.

“St. Augustine invites us to enter within ourselves because it is there that we can find the authentic meaning that not only expresses what we are but cries out to the Father our need to be beloved children, repeating, ‘Abbá, Father’: ‘Noli foras ire, in te ipsum redi; in interiore homine habitat veritas.’ [‘Do not go outside, return to within yourself; truth dwells in the inner man’].”

“St. Athanasius affirms that the risen Jesus Christ makes man’s life a continuous feast. And that is why the apostles — and Peter first among them — are not afraid of imprisonment, nor of threats, nor of being persecuted again. And in fact they boldly and frankly declare: ‘Of these things we are witnesses as also is the Holy Spirit whom God has sent to those who obey him.’

“It is clear that only the presence, with them, of the risen Lord and the action of the Holy Spirit can explain this fact. Their faith was based on such a strong and personal experience of Christ, dead and risen, that they were not afraid of anything or anyone.

“In the Gospel we heard that the risen Lord was waiting for his disciples at the seashore. The account says that when everything seemed finished, failed, the Lord made himself present, went to meet his own, who — filled with joy — were able to exclaim through the mouth of the disciple whom Jesus loved, ‘It is the Lord.’

“In this expression we grasp the enthusiasm of Easter faith, full of joy and amazement, which contrasts sharply with the bewilderment, discouragement, and sense of helplessness hitherto present in the disciples’ souls.

“It is only the presence of the risen Jesus that transforms everything: Darkness is overcome by light; useless work becomes fruitful and promising again; the sense of weariness and abandonment gives way to a new momentum and the certainty that he is with us.”

“Love is the key word of this Gospel passage [ohn 21:1-19]. The first to recognize Jesus is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ John, who exclaims: ‘It is the Lord!’ and Peter immediately throws himself into the sea to join the Master. After they had shared the food, which will have kindled in the hearts of the apostles the memory of the Last Supper, the dialogue between Jesus and Peter begins, the threefold question of the Lord and Peter’s threefold response.

“The first two times, Jesus adopts the verb to love, a strong word, while Peter, mindful of the betrayal, responds with the less demanding expression ‘to care,’ and the third time Jesus stresses the expression to care, adjusting to the apostle’s weakness. Pope Benedict XVI noted in commenting on this dialogue: ‘Simon understands that Jesus is satisfied with his poor love, the only one of which he is capable. ... It is precisely this divine adjustment that gives hope to the disciple, who has recognized the suffering of infidelity. ... From that day on, Peter ‘followed’ the Master with a precise awareness of his own fragility; but this awareness did not discourage him. For he knew that he could count on the presence of the Risen One beside him ... and so he shows us the way as well’ (General audience, May 24, 2006).”

“The celebration of the Novendiales for the deceased pontiff constitutes on the part of different categories and affiliations the performance of a rite of Christian suffrage: Ideally, in this way, too, the successor of Peter summons us to confirm ourselves, precisely because we renew our profession of faith in the resurrection of the flesh, in the forgiveness of sins, including those of a man who became pontiff, and in renewing the awareness that the unity of each person’s history is in God’s hands.

“Today it is the cardinal fathers who are called to participate in the Novendiales, almost a central stage of this ecclesial journey, huddling together in prayer as a collegium and entrusting to the Lord the one whose first collaborators and advisers they have been, or at least have sought to be, in the Roman Curia as well as in dioceses throughout the world.”

“The message [of the parable of the sheep and goats] is clear: In the lives of all, believers and nonbelievers alike, there is a moment of discrimination; at a certain point some begin to share in the same joy of God, others begin to suffer the tremendous suffering of true loneliness, because, ousted from the kingdom, they remain desperately alone in their souls.

“The passage in the first reading is the conclusion of Peter’s encounter with pagans, Cornelius and his family (Acts 10); an episode that — in a globalized, secularized age as thirsty for truth and love as ours — through Peter’s attitude points the way to evangelization: the unreserved openness to the human, gratuitous interest in others, the sharing of experience and deepening to help every man and every woman give respect to life, to creaturely grace, and, when they see that it pleases God — St. Francis of Assisi would say (RegNB XVI, 43) — the proclamation of the Gospel.”

“Behind this love of work is a strong conviction of Pope Francis: the infinite value of every human being, an immense dignity that should never be lost, that under no circumstances can be ignored or forgotten.

“But every person is so very worthy, and must be taken so seriously, that it’s not just a matter of giving them things but promoting them. That is, that they can develop all the good in them, that they can earn their bread with the gifts God has given them, that they can develop their abilities. Thus each person is promoted in all his dignity. And this is where work becomes so important.

“But in this Mass, with the presence of the Vatican Curia, let us keep in mind that we in the Curia also work. Indeed, we are workers who keep a schedule, who carry out the tasks assigned to us, who must be responsible and strive and sacrifice in our commitments. The responsibility of work is also for us in the Curia a path of maturation and fulfillment as Christians.”

“Evangelization was the guiding principle of [Pope Francis’] pontificate. With a clear missionary vision, he spread the joy of the Gospel, which was the title of his first apostolic exhortation, It is a joy that fills the hearts of all those who entrust themselves to God with confidence and hope.

“The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open. He often used the image of the Church as a ‘field hospital’ after a battle in which many were wounded; a Church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart; a Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.”

CNA Staff, May 6, 2025 / 12:58 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on Tuesday released photos of the Sistine Chapel prepared for the arrival of the cardinal electors who will select the next pope in the conclave set to begin on Wednesday.

The proceedings will take place in absolute secrecy, with the prelates largely sequestered from the outside world for as long as the conclave lasts until a new supreme pontiff is chosen.