Follow the conclave news and discover the behind-the-scenes of this centuries-old tradition.
During the solemn Mass marking the inauguration of a new pontificate, the Supreme Pontiff receives two major insignia that symbolize his spiritual authority and universal pastoral mission: the **pallium** and the **Fisherman's Ring**. These liturgical ornaments are not mere ceremonial decorations, but the visible expression of a two-thousand-year tradition and a profound theology of apostolic succession.
The new Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, as Robert Francis Prevost, unveiled his vision and pontifical program during his first meeting with the College of Cardinals on May 10. The first American pontiff in history, he chose a name heavy with meaning that reveals much about the direction he intends to give his pontificate
The white smoke that rose above the Sistine Chapel on May 8, 2025, at 6:07 PM marked the end of a remarkably brief conclave. In just 24 hours and four rounds of voting, the 133 cardinal electors chose American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church. This rapid election nevertheless conceals intense negotiations and strategic alliances that deserve closer analysis
The sun had barely risen over Vatican City on Friday, May 9, 2025, when excitement was already palpable in the cobblestone streets surrounding St. Peter's Square. The faithful and tourists crowded to catch a glimpse of the balcony from which Leon XIV had presented himself to the world the day before. This day marks the true beginning of the pontificate of the 267th successor to Saint Peter, the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church.
White smoke rose this Thursday, May 8, at 6:07 PM above the Sistine Chapel, announcing to the world that the 133 cardinal electors had chosen a new successor to Saint Peter. A few minutes later, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti proclaimed from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica the traditional formula: "Habemus Papam" – "We have a Pope". The conclave's choice fell on American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, thus becoming the 267th pope of the Catholic Church.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 will remain etched as the day when the Catholic Church once again retreated into the silence of the Sistine Chapel to entrust one of its heaviest responsibilities to the discernment of its cardinals: electing the successor of Peter. Two weeks after Pope Francis's death, 133 cardinal electors began the conclave in an atmosphere of spiritual gravity, popular fervor, and extreme confidentiality.
On the eve of the conclave to elect Pope Francis's successor, Rome experienced an intense day marked by solemn rituals, diplomatic tensions, and revealing controversies. This day, May 6, 2025, stands as a pivotal moment in the recent history of the Catholic Church, reflecting both the desired unity and the deep divisions running through the College of Cardinals.
On May 5, 2025, two days before the opening of the conclave to elect Pope Francis's successor, the Vatican experienced a day of intense activity. Between cardinal meetings, logistical preparations, and solemn oaths, this day constituted a decisive step in the transition to a new pontificate.
At the heart of the mystery of the conclave, this sacred ritual by which the Catholic Church designates a new sovereign pontiff, lies a series of silent gestures, discreet signs, imperceptible clues to the uninitiated, but meaningful to insiders. Among these gestures is a singular action, rarely observed but which, when it occurs, attracts the attention of Vatican experts and those in the know: that of the elected cardinal who, in the moment following his acceptance of the Petrine ministry, removes his red skullcap—called zucchetto—to offer it to the secretary of the conclave.
The cardinalate, a central institution of the Catholic Church, is attracting renewed interest on the occasion of the 2025 conclave, particularly due to the participation of Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, a Dominican priest who is not a bishop. This situation offers an opportunity to explore in depth the conditions for access to the cardinalate, the associated titles, episcopal obligations, as well as historical precedents of cardinals and popes who were not bishops.
