Camillo Barone

On May 7, in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, the conclave for the election of the new pope — the Catholic Church's most secret and fascinating ritual — will begin.

For Cardinal Juan García Rodríguez, the pre-conclave gatherings are not about orchestrated strategies or names whispered in corners. "The conclave and the general congregations are acts of faith," he said. 

Time is running out and there are still many cardinals registered to speak at the pre-conclave meetings called general congregations. Efforts are being made to ensure that all cardinals who wish to speak will have the opportunity to address the College of Cardinals.

In a workshop that's a stone's throw from St. Peter's Basilica, 86-year-old Raniero Mancinelli has been sewing cassocks for popes for more than half a century.

Over-80 cardinals, who cannot vote in the conclave, are lashing out at the Francis papacy, calling for change of course. "Give back the church to Catholics," a 94-year-old Italian cardinal said. 

The 200,000 euro donation captures the very essence of Francis' pontificate, said Bishop Benoni Ambarus, auxiliary Bishop of Rome.

After funeral, Argentine Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi looks ahead to next pope and hope to continue the message of the Francis pontificate.

Since Pope Francis' death, the Jesuits who knew him have reflected on the transformation of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from a conflicted provincial in Argentina to a global spiritual leader.

Pope Francis' body was carried in an open coffin into St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday. 

Lay Catholics in the U.S. reflected on Pope Francis' legacy as a pastor who sought out those on the peripheries and tried to make the Catholic Church a more welcoming space for the marginalized.

In the face of violence, deprivation, suffering and political turmoil, Palestinian Catholic priests offer Palestinian Catholics spiritual support and aid. Pope Francis calls one pastor every night.

While the pope's health struggles have left Carla Rabezzana uneasy, the lack of direct contact has also heightened her anxiety for her beloved cousin, who can "cheer you up with just a few words."

Dr. Greg Shay, a retired Catholic doctor, spent a month in Gaza in the fall. Back in the U.S., he wishes Catholics would be more vocal about ending the war.

"With Cardinal McCarrick's death, we lose one of the great villains of Roman Catholicism in the U.S.," said Colt Anderson, a Fordham professor who is writing a book on clericalism and the clergy sex abuse crisis.

National Catholic Reporter's Vatican correspondent Christopher White will be joining Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life as associate director for strategic engagement and a senior fellow.

He rose to power despite church officials’ knowledge of sexual-abuse accusations against him. 

Journalists and Vatican officials who have covered multiple pontificates describe the challenges, secrecy and unprecedented moments that have shaped modern papal media relations.

Pope Francis on March 23 appeared in public for the first time in five weeks since his hospitalization began on Feb. 14. 

On March 18, the Italian daily paper Corriere della Serra published a letter from Pope Francis where he said his hospitalization has heightened his awareness to the "absurdity of war." 

From the hushed prayers in a hospital chapel to the flickering candles outside Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis' hospitalization has become a testament to faith and solidarity.