Catholic News
- Cardinals settling details of conclave schedule (Vatican Press Office)
Meeting on April 29 in the 6th general congregation after the death of Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals continued to arrange details of the conclave that will begin on May 7. The April 29 session also saw twenty cardinals speak about the needs of the universal Church—a topic that will dominate discussion as the conclave nears. The camerlengo and his three assistants* presented a list of the people who will be required to swear an oath of secrecy before the conclave, including all the cardinal-electors and the support staff that will serve them during the length of the conclave. That staff will include priests who will be available to hear confessions in various languages, doctors and nurses, cooks and cleaning staff, and security personnel. * Three cardinals serve as assistants to the camerlengo in handling details of preparation for the conclave. Contrary to some media reports, these cardinal-assistants are chosen by lot, rather than by vote; they serve only for three days, after which another trio of cardinal-assistants is chosen. - Papal conclave will begin May 7 (Vatican News)
The conclave that will elect a successor to Pope Francis will open on Wednesday, May 7. The opening of the conclave—following the traditional nine days of mourning for a deceased Pontiff—was officially set by the College of Cardinals, meeting in a general congregation on April 28. Almost 200 cardinals have now gathered in Rome to participate in the daily meetings leading up to the conclave. The conclave will open on May 7 with the celebration of a Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, followed by a procession into the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinal-electors will hear two meditations and take an oath to preserve the secrecy of the proceedings. If time allows, the cardinals may take their first vote on Wednesday afternoon. On any following days of the conclave, the schedule will allow for two votes in the morning, then two more in the afternoon session, until a candidate receives the two-thirds support required for election. - Cardinals discuss evangelization, interfaith relations, abuse; new cardinal assistants chosen (CWN)
On April 28, members of the College of Cardinals met in their fifth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. Over 180 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - 200,000 in attendance at Mass as Cardinal Parolin emphasizes late Pope's teaching on mercy (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness from 2013 until Pope Francis’s death, presided at Mass in St. Peter’s Square on April 27, the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) (video). An estimated 200,000 people, including participants in the Jubilee of Teenagers, were in attendance at the Mass, on the second of nine days of Masses in the late Pontiff’s memory. In a separate article, the Vatican newspaper reported that 200,000 teenagers took part in the jubilee. “It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the Magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “Likewise the eagerness to proclaim and share God’s mercy with all—the proclamation of the Good News, evangelization—was the principal theme of his pontificate.” He added: It is important to welcome as a precious treasure this principle on which Pope Francis insisted so much. And—allow me to say—our affection for him, which is being manifested in this time, must not remain a mere emotion of the moment; we must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another ... Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence: this is the great teaching of Pope Francis. - At least 200,000 attend Pope Francis's funeral Mass (CNS)
A large crowd—estimated at 200,000 by Catholic News Service, and at 250,000 by the Vatican newspaper—attended the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on April 26 (booklet, video). The leaders of more than 80 countries, and representatives from some four dozen others, were in attendance. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, preached the homily. “The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” he preached. “With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved Pontiff to God, that he may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love” Cardinal Re concluded: Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, “Do not forget to pray for me.” Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope. - Nearly 35 million attended papal events during late Pope's pontificate (SIR (Italian))
The Prefecture of the Papal Household has announced that 34,953,276 people participated in papal Masses, general audiences, Angelus addresses, and other events during the 12-year pontificate of Pope Francis. The year with the greatest crowds (7,314,350) was 2013, the year of his election; the year with the smallest crowds was the lockdown year of 2020, in which 102,850 attended papal events. 1,682,100 people attended papal events in 2024, and 262,820 during the early months of 2025. - Cardinals issue thanks to leaders who attended papal funeral (Vatican Press Office)
The College of Cardinals has issued a statement of thanks to the religious and political leaders who attended the funeral of Pope Francis. “Their presence was particularly appreciated as participation in the suffering of the Church and the Holy See at the passing of the Pontiff, and as homage to his unceasing commitment to promote faith, peace and fraternity among all the peoples of the earth,” the cardinals said. The College also thanked the public officials of Rome and Italy who cooperated in preparations for the funeral. Finally, the statement acknowledged the large number of young people who participated in the Jubilee for Youth on April 27. Thousands of young people had scheduled trips to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which was postponed because of the papal funeral. Their attendance, the cardinals said, helped to show “the face of a Church alive with the life of her Risen Lord.” - Papal video to youth: 'Learn to listen to others' (Vatican News)
An Italian magazine, Oggi, has released a video of Pope Francis that was recorded on January 8. “Dear boys and girls, one of the most important things in life is to listen—to learn how to listen,” the late Pope told members of Listening Workshops, an Italian initiative. “When someone speaks to you, wait for them to finish so you can really understand, and then, if you feel like it, respond. But the important thing is to listen.” - 300,000 attend national requiem Mass for late Pope in Timor-Leste (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
An estimated 300,000 people attended the national requiem Mass for Pope Francis in Timor-Leste (video). Timor-Leste (East Timor) (map), a Southeast Asian nation of 1.5 million, is 88% Christian (84% Catholic), 7% ethnic religionist, and 4% Muslim; Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there last year. - Vatican City issues sede vacante postage stamps (Vatican City State)
The Vatican City State’s Postal and Philately Service has released a series of stamps for the vacant see. The stamps portray the Apostolic See supported by angels, with the words “Sede Vacante MMXXV.” - Remember Pope Francis by addressing 'ecological debt,' pontifical academy president urges (Vatican News)
Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, joined other economists and academics in signing “Honoring Pope Francis’s legacy: A call to action for global justice.” “If those who honor him today truly wish to carry forward his spiritual legacy, they could begin by seizing the opportunity of the Jubilee to fulfil one of his major hopes,” the signatories wrote, as they called for Using this moment to establish mechanisms of compensation between the “ecological debt” of wealthy countries and the foreign debt of poorer nations, a burden that has become increasingly unsustainable, worsened by the current global macroeconomic environment of high interest rates and the unequal treatment of debtor nations. - Cardinals visit the tomb of Pope Francis, pray Vespers (Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore)
Members of the College of Cardinals visited the tomb of Pope Francis on April 27, the day after his funeral, and prayed Vespers in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the late Pontiff is interred (video). Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the basilica, presided at Second Vespers of the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday). The Vatican newspaper reported that 70,000 people visited the Pope’s tomb that day. - Bankruptcy court judge prods New Orleans archdiocese (WWLTV)
A federal bankruptcy-court judge, frustrated with the lack of progress in a five-year-old case, has ordered the Archdiocese of New Orleans to show reason why the case should not be dismissed. Judge Maredith Grabill saw no movement toward a resolution in talks between the archdiocese and sex-abuse claimants. With the archdiocesan legal fees already surpassing $40 million, the judge sought assurance that a settlement would be reached. Otherwise she threatened to dismiss the case, leaving the archdiocese to face more than 500 sex-abuse lawsuits without bankruptcy protection. - Vatican newspaper editor writes about Pope Francis's neck (CWN)
In a front-page editorial in the April 26 edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief reflected on the back of Pope Francis’s neck and the rigidity of the Church and the world. - Trump supporters hope to influence conclave? (The Guardian)
The Guardian examines efforts by American political conservatives—notably supporters of President Trump—to influence the coming papal conclave. (CWN editor Phil Lawler is quoted regarding the pre-conclave “lobbying.”) - Cardinal Becciu drops campaign for vote in conclave (Il Tiempo (Italian))
Cardinal Angelo Becciu has withdrawn his bid to participate in next week’s papal conclave, eliminating a potential source of tension among the cardinals. The Italian prelate, who last year was convicted by a Vatican tribunal on charges of financial misconduct, had been stripped of his privileges as a cardinal in September 2020. However he remained a member of the College of Cardinals, and it remained unclear whether the disciplinary measures imposed by Pope Francis would make him ineligible to vote in a papal election. Cardinal Becciu had argued forcefully that he was an eligible elector. The Vatican’s official list of electors did not include him, however. At their general conference on April 28, the College of Cardinals discussed his status and agreed to vote on his eligibility. But before the vote could be taken, Cardinal Becciu—perhaps anticipating the likely result of a ballot—announced that he would withdraw, for the sake of church unity. - Study shows frequent, serious complications from abortion pill (Ethics & Public Policy Center)
A new study of complications arising from the use of the abortion drug mifepristone has shown that more than one in ten users experience serious side effects. The study found that 10.9% of women who took the abortion drug suffered from sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, or other potentially life-threatening effects. The frequency of adverse side effects was an astonishing 22 times the level now officially recognized by the Food and Drug Administration. The new study is based on analysis of health-insurance records involving more than 800,000 cases. The current FDA recommendations are based on trials involving just over 30,000 case. - Late Pontiff interned in Santa Maria Maggiore, as coffin welcomed by the poor and transgendered (Vatican Press Office)
In accord with his wishes, the late Pope Francis was interned in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maggiore on April 26 (booklet), following the funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square. A “group of poor and marginalized people” welcomed the Pontiff’s coffin on the steps of the basilica, according to Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. The group included “poor people, homeless, prisoners, migrants and transgender individuals.” Vatican News reported that “the idea for this final encounter came from an exchange” between Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, and Auxiliary Bishop Benoni Ambăruş of Rome, in order to “strengthen the presence of the poor at the funeral or in some other meaningful way.” - Vatican diplomat speaks out against arbitrary expulsion of refugees (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN meeting on refugee protection, a leading Vatican diplomat emphasized “the inherent God-given human dignity of all persons, including refugees.” Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said that “in pursuing a balance between national development priorities and refugee engagement, national systems should include policies to protect the right of refugees to non-refoulement, through effective birth registration or comprehensive documentation.” Nations “should also ban arbitrary and collective expulsions, ensure access to adequate shelter and to physical and mental health care, and guarantee freedom of religion,” he continued, as he called for “education, including training in local languages, and jobs, including quality internships,” to be “made more accessible to refugees.” - Supreme Court to hear test case on Catholic charter school (Wall Street Journal)
The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on April 30 in a key case involving a bid to open a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. State officials have approved a proposal by the two Catholic dioceses of Oklahoma too establish a new school, under the terms of a state program encouraging alternative schools. The state’s supreme court, however, blocked the proposal, saying that it would constitute an unconstitutional support for religion. Oklahoma’s attorney general, contesting that court ruling, observes that the proposed Catholic school would, like other charter schools, be “free, open to all, subject to antidiscrimination laws, created and funded by the State, and subject to continuing government regulation.” - More...