Late pontiff's legacy is a conclave flashpoint. Will the cardinal electors continue down a path blazed by the first Latin American pope? Or will they pull back from Pope Francis' initiative known as synodality?
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.
The chimney on the Sistine Chapel is up, and voting to elect the next pope will begin on Wednesday afternoon, May 7. Here is the National Catholic Reporter's final roundup of the 12 leading front-runners.
For the second Sunday in a row, the balcony from where the pope prays the traditional Angelus remained empty. An unusual quiet blanketed the streets of Rome, with fewer of the usual crowds of faithful and tourists.
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.
Marseille's Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline is not widely considered a top-tier contender as cardinals approach the May 7 conclave to elect a new pope. But the French cardinal is still worth taking seriously.
