cardinals

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One Cardinal's Essential Conclave Item: a Book

Cardinal Timothy Dolan explains there is a lot of quiet downtime

(Newser) - It could be hours—or days—before a group of 133 cardinals manages to select a pope, reports Fox News . Cardinal Timothy Dolan will be one of them, and has some straightforward advice for cardinals who haven't experienced a papal conclave before: pack a book. Dolan, speaking Tuesday,...

Conclave to Choose a New Pope Is About to Begin

Cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel at 10:15am

(Newser) - At 10:15am ET, Catholic cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel—and won't re-enter the world until there is a new pope, reports NBC News . The conclave to select the next pope following the death of Pope Francis in April at age 88 involves 133...

In Rome, Nuns Are Gathering, Too
In Rome, Nuns
Are Gathering, Too
May 5, 2025 8:04 AM CDT

In Rome, Nuns Are Gathering, Too

Meeting of 'superiors' coincides with death of Francis

(Newser) - As cardinals prepare to gather in the Sistine Chapel to select the next pope, another assembly is underway just miles away: Nearly 900 leaders of female Catholic religious orders are meeting in Rome. These superiors—representing over 450,000 nuns globally—opened their plenary assembly Monday with a call...

Vatican Gets Sistine Chapel Ready to Hunker Down

There's a lot of effort—and technology—in making sure no secrets escape the chapel

(Newser) - Around 135 cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the process of electing the new leader of the Catholic Church, and the Vatican is going into overdrive to ensure that what happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel. As Fast Company reports, while a...

Amid Scandal, Cardinal Becciu Bows Out of Papal Conclave

Convicted cardinal steps back after letters reportedly signed by Francis surface on eligibility

(Newser) - Once one of the most powerful voices in the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has stepped back from the Vatican's most secretive election after a recent criminal conviction. Becciu made his decision on Tuesday after being presented with two letters written by Pope Francis before his death that said...

Papal Conclave Could Deliver a 'History-Making Moment'

First modern pope from Asia or Africa is possible

(Newser) - Many names have been thrown about in discussions about the next pope, but a few frontrunners are emerging in the leadup to the papal conclave early next month.
  • Americans: USA Today names two American contenders: Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is a "fierce advocate
...

An American Pope? One Name Is in Contention
An American Pope? One
Name Is in Contention
the rundown
Apr 21, 2025 8:23 AM CDT

An American Pope? One Name Is in Contention

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, is among those seen as a possible successor

(Newser) - So who will be the next pope? Even as the tributes pour in for Pope Francis after his death on Monday morning , the question is at the forefront for the Catholic Church. The Washington Post sees no clear favorite at the moment, but the newspaper and other outlets are...

Pope Installs Largest Group Yet of Voting-Age Cardinals

Many are central to Francis' plans

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Saturday installed 21 new cardinals, many of whom are key figures in his agenda of change: a Dominican preacher who acted as the spiritual father for Francis' recent gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan "street priest" like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has strongly backed his...

Pope Names 21 Cardinals, Including a 99-Year-Old

Many come from 'the church's edges,' church historian says

(Newser) - Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor. They include a man who will be the oldest cardinal: Monsignor Angelo Acerbi, a 99-year-old retired Vatican...

In a First, Vatican Court Convicts a Cardinal

Angelo Becciu, who was a close adviser to Pope Francis, found guilty of embezzlement

(Newser) - Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a onetime adviser to Pope Francis who was touted as a potential successor, was convicted Saturday by a Vatican court of embezzlement. Cardinal Angelo Becciu was sentenced to 5½ years in prison, the BBC reports. He was charged after an investigation sparked by a losing property investment...

Pope's Top Critic Is About to Have to Find New Digs

Pontiff has apparently had it with Cardinal Raymond Burke

(Newser) - Cardinal Raymond Burke , an American who's led conservative resistance to Pope Francis' progressive moves since his election a decade ago, has apparently poked the pontiff one too many times. As the New York Times reports, Francis has "frequently demoted and stripped the American cleric of influence"—...

Pope Enters 'Crucial New Phase' for Church

Francis appoints 21 new cardinals to help him enact his reforms, cement his legacy

(Newser) - Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals at a ritual-filled ceremony Saturday, including key figures at the Vatican and in the field who will help enact his reforms and cement his legacy as he enters a crucial new phase in running the Catholic Church. On a crisp sunny day filled with...

Confederate Statues Aren't the Only Ones Coming Down

Homage to late German cardinal comes down days after new sex-abuse allegations

(Newser) - Confederate statues aren't the only ones being taken down: A statue of a deceased German cardinal was removed from its perch outside Essen Cathedral in western Germany on Monday, reports the AP , days after allegations of sexual abuse decades ago became public. The accusations against Cardinal Franz Hengsbach,...

Pope Adds to Group That Will Pick His Successor

New cardinals include choices for Hong Kong, Jerusalem

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Sunday announced he has chosen 21 new cardinals, including prelates from Jerusalem and Hong Kong—places where Catholics are a small minority—as he shapes the body of churchmen who will select his successor. The pope announced his picks during his weekly appearance in St. Peter's...

Vatican Cardinal Files Defamation Suit Against Accuser

Marc Ouellet says in countersuit that woman's sex assault claims 'tarnished' his global reputation

(Newser) - A Vatican cardinal sued a Canadian woman for defamation in a Canadian court on Tuesday after she accused him of sexual assault while he was archbishop of Quebec. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Vatican's bishops office, is seeking $74,000 in compensatory damages for "injury to his...

A Catholic First: Cardinal Admits Abusing Minor

78-year-old Jean-Pierre Ricard says he abused 14-year-old girl in 1980s, steps down

(Newser) - Jean-Pierre Ricard has become the first Catholic cardinal to publicly admit to abusing a minor, according to reports. The French cardinal said Monday that he "behaved in a reprehensible way with a young girl aged 14" as a priest in the archdiocese of Marseille in the 1980s and "...

Francis Installs 20 Cardinals
Francis Installs
20 Cardinals
Aug 27, 2022 3:40 PM CDT

Francis Installs 20 Cardinals

Pope has now chosen most of the men who will choose his successor

(Newser) - Pope Francis elevated 20 more churchmen to the rank of cardinal on Saturday, formally expanding the group eligible to vote for his successor in the event he dies or resigns—the latter a step he has said he'd consider if the need arises. Of the churchmen named new cardinals...

Once the Vatican's No. 2 Man, His Legacy Was Marred

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, 94, championed founder of religious order who turned out to be a pedophile

(Newser) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, a once-powerful Italian prelate who long served as the Vatican's No. 2 official but whose legacy was tarnished by his support for the pedophile founder of an influential religious order, has died. He was 94. In its Saturday announcement of his death, the Vatican said Sodano...

Pope: I Actually Was at Meeting on Priest Accused of Abuse

Benedict had originally said he hadn't attended, blames discrepancy on 'editing' mistake

(Newser) - Update: Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal, but there's been a shift in at least one story. Per the Catholic News Agency and CNN , the pontiff had originally told investigators he hadn't attended a January 1980 meeting of archdiocesan...

Cardinal Known for Vaccine Misinfo on Ventilator With COVID

Raymond Burke, ex-archbishop of St. Louis, put on oxygen support just days after testing positive

(Newser) - A former archbishop of St. Louis who's publicly expressed wariness about the coronavirus vaccine has been placed on a ventilator, just days after he announced he had the virus. "I wish to inform you that I have recently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus," Cardinal Raymond Burke...

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