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O'Malley, the 'cappuccino priest,' a hit in Rome
The archbishop of Boston, dressed more often in the humble brown robe of his religious order than a cardinal's regalia, has emerged as an unlikely ...
Papal names are rich with meaning
What's in a name? A lot if you are the next pope. Every time a new pontiff is chosen in a conclave, a senior cardinal goes up to him and asks: "And ...
The choreographed election of a pope in a nutshell
The election of a pope follows a series of choreographed rules and rituals that have been tweaked over the centuries ever since the term "conclave" ...
Schedule of voting during the papal conclave
The conclave to elect a new pope begins Tuesday at the Vatican. The voting process follows a set ritual every day until the Catholic Church has a new ...
The oath sworn by cardinals before papal vote
Before cardinals start voting for a new pope, they will swear an oath of secrecy in the Sistine Chapel. It will be administered by Cardinal Giovanni ...
How the conclaves fared in the past century
Over the past century, no conclave has lasted more than five days and the fastest vote was for Pope Pius XII. Twice prelates from North America missed ...
Conclave cardinals by continent
In the papal conclave that begins Tuesday, 115 cardinals will elect the next pope. All of them were created either by Benedict XVI or Pope John Paul ...
Conclave to elect next pope opens amid uncertainty
Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: ...
Heavy workload awaits next pope; church in turmoil
The moment Cardinal Albino Luciani learned his colleagues had elected him pope, he responded: "May God forgive you for what you've done." The remark, ...
Black or white smoke, did they pick a pope?
Forget all the artistic masterpieces. The most gazed-at item at the Vatican this week will be a humble, copper, two-meter (six-foot) high chimney that ...
As conclave approaches, Benedict XVI out of sight
As cardinals move to elect a new pope, the Vatican has seemed intent on getting people to forget the last one. Benedict XVI's papacy ended last month ...
Quirky facts about papal conclaves
LONGEST CONCLAVE: In 1268, a conclave began that lasted nearly three years — 33 months to be exact. Pope Gregory X was elected pope, but not before ...
Cardinals say Mass, seek prayers ahead of conclave
Cardinals took a break from maneuvering ahead of this week's papal conclave to fan out across Rome and celebrate Sunday Mass at local parishes.
Before the conclave, horse-trading has begun
The Vatican insists that the cardinals participating in the upcoming conclave will vote their conscience, each influenced only by silent prayers and ...
Top contenders to be the next pope
Cardinals from around the world gather this week in a conclave to elect a new pope following the stunning resignation of Benedict XVI. In the ...
Sistine chimney installed as conclave nears
The Vatican sought Saturday to quash speculation that divisions among cardinals could drag out the conclave to elect the new pope, while preparations ...
Catholics create 'virtual conclave' for new pope
A pastor in Ontario wondered about behind-the-scenes politicking ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope. He could have read news reports or ...
Cardinals set Tuesday as start date for conclave
The preliminaries over, Catholic cardinals are ready to get down to the real business of choosing a pope. And even without a front-runner, there are ...
Vatican brings flowers amid debate on women's role
The Vatican's spokesman came to his press briefing Friday bearing flowers for female journalists to mark International Women's Day. "On behalf of all ...
Vietnam cardinal arrives, last 1 in for conclave
The last cardinal who will participate in the conclave to elect the next pope arrived in Rome on Thursday, meaning a date can now be set for the ...
Tailors to the popes pray for perfect fit
The favorite guessing game in Rome these days is who will be the next pope. Few take it more seriously than the Gammarelli family, tailors to the ...
Cardinals impose media blackout ahead of conclave
In the end, American-style transparency was no match for the Vatican's obsession with secrecy. Cardinals attending closed-door discussions ahead of ...
Correction: Vatican-Pope story
In a story March 5 about American cardinals exerting a surprising amount of control over the message coming out of Vatican City ahead of the papal ...
Victims raise legal questions about retired pope
Attorneys who have tried unsuccessfully for years to sue the Vatican over failures to stop clergy sex abuse are looking into whether former Pope ...
Vatican still waiting for 5 cardinals for conclave
The Sistine Chapel closed to visitors on Tuesday and construction work got under way to prepare it for the conclave that will choose the next pope, ...