VATICAN CITY (RNS) Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis on Wednesday after only two days of voting in the conclave tasked with choosing a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Everyone gathered around the papal conclave had theories, many had favorites, and most declared it all so unpredictable that the winner – or even how long it would take to find him – was anybody’s guess.
The new pope’s first name is actually announced in Latin (this is the Vatican, after all), so if you want to be fully prepped, our friends at Catholic News Service have prepared a list of all the cardinals’ names in Latin.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The tradition of voting for the new pontiff in the Sistine Chapel dates back to the Renaissance, but the location of the voting didn’t become a fixed feature of the conclaves until the 19th century — and only with John Paul II’s rules did the Sistine Chapel become the official theater of papal elections.
During the days before a new pope is announced, journalists gather and the Catholic community prepares inside the Vatican.
(RNS) A non-European pope, drawn from the Global South that’s shaping the future face of the church, would be a prophetic spiritual gift to the whole Christian community, and beyond.
