Cardinals begin conclave to elect new pope in majesty of Sistine Chapel
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu attends the Holy Mass, celebrated for the election of the new pope, presided over by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 7, 2025.
Catholic cardinals who will choose the next pope were locked behind the heavy wood doors of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, sequestered from the world to elect the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.
In a ritual dating back to medieval times, 133 cardinal electors walked slowly into the chapel before taking an oath of perpetual secrecy under the gaze of the stern Christ depicted in Michelangelo's Last Judgement fresco, which adorns the chapel.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Vatican's master of ceremonies, then pronounced the Latin command "Extra omnes!" (Everyone out!), telling all those not involved in the conclave to leave.
The chapel's doors were slammed shut, allowing the cardinals to hold their first ballot to look for a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month. Faithful watch a giant screen displaying images of Diego Giovanni Ravelli, Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, closing the doors of the Sistine chapel as the conclave to elect a new Pope starts, at St Peter's Square in The Vatican, on May 7, 2025.
No pope has been elected on the first day of a conclave for centuries and voting could continue for several days before one man receives the necessary two-thirds majority to become the 267th pontiff.
There will be only one ballot on Wednesday. Thereafter, there can be as many as four votes a day.
During a formal procession into the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals beseeched nearly 100 men and women believed to reside in heaven to pray for them as they prepare to make the momentous decision.
The only expected signal from the cardinals during the conclave will come in the form of smoke from a chimney atop the chapel, as the clerics burn their ballots.
Black smoke will mark an inconclusive vote; white smoke and the pealing of bells will signal that the 1.4-billion-member Church has a new leader. 'Watchful care' over the world
At a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday before entering the conclave, the cardinals prayed that God would help them find a pope who would exercise "watchful care" over the world. People watch a screen in Saint Peter's Square showing Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, on the first day of the conclave to elect the next pope, as seen from Rome, Italy, May 7, 2025.
In a sermon, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told his peers they must set aside "every personal consideration" in choosing the new pontiff and keep in mind "only ... the good of the Church and of humanity".
In recent days, cardinals have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pope.
While some have called for continuity with Francis' vision of greater openness and reform, others have said they want to turn the clock back and embrace traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.
A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries were expected to enter the Sistine Chapel, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave in 2013 - growth that reflects efforts by Francis during his 12-year reign to extend the reach of the Church.
No clear favourite has emerged, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners. A general view taken from the cupola of St Peter's basilica shows St Peter's square and Via della Conciliazione, in The Vatican on May 3, 2025. Firefighters installed the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on May 2, 2025 which will emit white smoke to signal the election of a new pope as preparations proceed just five days before cardinals gather for the conclave.
However, if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.
Among other potential candidates are France's Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary's Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost and Italy's Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
The cardinal electors are all aged under 80. Re, who cannot take part in the conclave as he is 91, suggested the cardinals should look for a pope who respected the Church's diversity. "Unity does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity," he said in his sermon.
The average length of the last 10 conclaves was just over three days and none went on for more than five days. The last conclave, which picked Francis in 2013, lasted just two days.
The cardinals will be looking to wrap things up quickly again this time to avoid giving the impression they are divided or that the Church is adrift.
Some 80% of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis, increasing the possibility that his successor will in some way continue his progressive policies, despite strong pushback from traditionalists.
Among their considerations will be whether they should seek a pope from the global South where congregations are growing, as they did in 2013 with Francis, from Argentina, hand back the reins to Europe or even pick a first U.S. pope.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Italy and Israeli Paragon part ways after spyware affair
By Giuseppe Fonte and Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) -Italy and Israeli spyware maker Paragon said they have ended contracts following allegations that the Italian government used the company's technology to hack the phones of critics, according to a parliamentary report on Monday and the company. Both sides said they had severed ties, giving conflicting accounts that triggered widespread criticism from opposition parties in Italy, while the journalists' federation FNSI called on prosecutors to investigate to ascertain the facts. An official with Meta's WhatsApp chat service said in January that the spyware had targeted scores of users, including, in Italy, a journalist and members of the Mediterranea migrant sea rescue charity critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The government said in February that seven Italian mobile phone users had been targeted by the spyware. At that time the government denied any involvement in illicit activities and said it had asked the National Cybersecurity Agency to look into the affair. A report from the parliamentary committee on security, COPASIR, said on Monday that Italian intelligence services had initially put on hold and then ended their contract with Paragon following a media outcry. It was unclear when the contract was ended. However, COPASIR recalled that, addressing parliament on February 12, the government had said that it was still in place. The committee also added it found no evidence that Francesco Cancellato, a reported target and editor of investigative website Fanpage, had been put under surveillance using Paragon's spyware, as he had alleged to Reuters and other media outlets. In a statement quoted by Fanpage, Paragon said it stopped providing spyware to Italy when Cancellato's alleged involvement became public, and said the government declined an offer to jointly investigate whether and how he was spied upon. The company did not reply to requests for comment from Reuters. Opposition politicians called on the government to clarify the matter in parliament. Meloni's office declined to comment. The COPASIR report said Italy's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies activated contracts with Paragon in 2023 and 2024 respectively and used it on a very limited number of people, with permission from a prosecutor. The foreign intelligence agency used the spyware to search for fugitives, counter illegal immigration, alleged terrorism, organised crime, fuel smuggling and counter-espionage and internal security activities, COPASIR said. It added that members of the Mediterranea charity were spied on "not as human rights activists, but in reference to their activities potentially related to irregular immigration", with permission from the government. Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni's point man on intelligence matters, authorised the use of Paragon spyware on Mediterranea activists Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia on September 5, 2024, the report said. Mantovano was not immediately available for comment. A Sicilian judge last month ordered six members of Mediterranea, including Casarini and Caccia, to stand trial on accusations of aiding illegal immigration, the first time crew members of a rescue vessel have faced such prosecution. All have denied wrongdoing.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Local protests build in response to Trump's stepped up immigration raids
Happy hour patrons blocked unmarked vehicles on a San Diego street. Crowds massed outside New York immigration court. Students walked out of a Massachusetts high school. Labor organizers and others gathered outside worksite raids in Los Angeles. As President Donald Trump delivers on his promise to deport millions of immigrants, the administration's tough, new tactics are increasingly being met with community resistance. The Department of Homeland Security has defended its workplace raids and individual arrests as necessary to get the job done. DHS leaders blame Democratic politicians and protesters for what described ‒ before the recent issues in Los Angeles ‒ as a more than 400% increase in assaults on agents. Immigrant advocates say the government's more aggressive tactics have gone too far and when agencies operate 'in a rogue fashion,' protesters will come out in force. That boiled over on June 7, when protests against heavily armed, masked agents raiding Los Angeles businesses turned violent. Trump deployed the National Guard to quell protests, a dramatic escalation. Raids in Los Angeles trigger tense standoffs The tensions in Los Angeles built slowly and then exploded. On Friday, June 6, there were small protests at several job sites where ICE was arresting immigrants. At one of the sites, the president of the Service Employees International Union, David Huerta, was arrested for allegedly interfering with federal officers. Police fired tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang concussion rounds toward the crowd. The next day, larger protests, including members of Huerta's union, began in the town of Paramount, south of Los Angeles, linked to rumors of a possible immigration raid. As the protests grew in the county, where about 1 in 3 residents is foreign-born, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to the region. The move drew condemnation from state and local officials, many of whom have long been at odds with the president. They feared the troops would escalate the situation, which had been contained to a few, isolated areas of conflict. By late morning on June 8, with dozens of National Guard troops in place near the Los Angeles federal complex, tensions rose even higher. At one point, a crowd of protesters walked onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions. Others burned taxis and hurled objects at officers, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. In the early evening, the police department declared an "unlawful assembly" for the Civic Center area and the historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles and cleared the protesters. The area was mostly quiet after about 8 p.m. local time. More protests are planned for June 9 and 10. Dinner parties take to streets in San Diego On May 30, agents in military gear and weapons descended on San Diego's trendy South Park neighborhood. Amid Friday evening dinner parties, officials arrested four workers at a popular Italian restaurant suspected of hiring workers without proper work authorization. The operation came as a result of a 2020 tip, followed by another in January 2025, court records show. A crowd of people poured out from bars and restaurants to stand in front of several unmarked cars near the Buona Forchetta restaurant. 'We all felt a collective anger because they're pulling busboys and dishwashers,' said José Díaz, who had been at a nearby bar when he heard agents were in the area. 'Nobody's committing a crime but going to work.' Díaz, 47, went to the street and began recording video on his phone. Agents tried to drive cars through the crowd. Then, they threw two flash-bang grenades into the crowd. One, a Defense Technology Low Roll Distraction Device, went off by Díaz's foot. As a former Army captain, Díaz said he had never seen soldiers use such tactics, even overseas. 'We had much stricter rules of engagement than these agents had,' he said. Eventually, the agents went backward, exiting the area, as people marched toward them shouting 'Shame.' On social media, San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera called the agents 'terrorists" for exercising violent tactics. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said on X that politicians like him are 'openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.' Elo-Rivera, who represents a nearby district, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been conducting raids in the border city's immigrant neighborhoods. The May 30 action occurred in a gentrified neighborhood that has become more white and monied, he added. 'The majority of Americans, and certainly San Diegans, do not want to factor into their dinner plans the possibility of a brigade of armed, masked men dropping into their evening of enjoying spaghetti and pizza,' Elo-Rivera said. Demonstrators block entrances in New York immigration courts Across the country, agents in recent weeks have also arrested people as they appeared in immigration court or had check-ins with officials. In New York City, protests have erupted outside of immigration court buildings, resulting in scuffles with officials and agents boarding up windows amid arrests. Protests have only grown after ICE detained a Bronx high school student, an asylum seeker from Venezuela, who had gone to immigration court in May. Like him, other migrants have been detained trying to appear in court or while checking in with immigration officials. The week of June 2, agents lined up inside of courthouse hallways to detain people. Images showed families cuffed and hauled into unmarked cars by agents. 'As we continue to see these agencies conduct themselves in a rogue fashion, people are going to continue to step up and fight back,' Murad Awawdeh, president of CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said. 'We have to fight for each other. If we don't, then we're going to continue to allow these authoritarian tactics to continue to peek their heads up.' School walkouts after student detained before practice In Massachusetts, Milford High School students organized protests after agents on May 31 detained a junior, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, while he was going to volleyball practice. Agents said they meant to target his father but detained Gomes Da Silva, 18, instead. Gomes Da Silva was in the country illegally, having entered the United States on a visa as a young child that has since expired. After their June 1 graduation, Milford students walked from the school to protest outside the town hall. A day later, they walked out of class as they awaited Gomes Da Silva's immigration case. He was granted bail on June 5 and released. The student body was visibly upset, Nicholas Molinari, president of the Milford Teachers Association, said in an email. ICE has been present in Milford for several weeks, he added, causing fear in many students who have shared their feelings with teachers. Minneapolis residents question armored vehicles outside taqueria On June 3, masked agents in tactical gear and military-style vehicles amassed at a Minneapolis corner in the heart of the city's Latino community. They stood outside a taqueria, where federal agents investigated an incident related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering, not immigration enforcement, Mayor Jacob Frey later said on Facebook. He said agents made no arrests. In the pouring rain, few officials would respond to residents' questions, said the Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen, lead pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The incident took place near a grocery store and preschool. In a viral video, Rasmussen questioned Minneapolis Police Chief O'Hara about local law enforcement's cooperation with agents, some of whom donned ICE badges. Local officials have said ICE had no presence in the operation, and local police only assisted in controlling the crowd. In a statement shared to news outlets, ICE celebrated its investigation. The answers to such contradictions have been insufficient and considered gaslighting to many residents, Rasmussen added. 'We can do better than this,' she said. 'I think our imaginations have somehow grown small if we think this is what community safety looks like, what it needs to look like, at this moment in history.' Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01. Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Italy has ended spyware contract with Paragon, parliamentary document shows
By Giuseppe Fonte and Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) -Italy has terminated a contract with Israeli spyware maker Paragon, a parliamentary document showed on Monday, following allegations that the Italian government used its technology to hack critics' phones. Paragon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Meta's WhatsApp chat service said earlier this year Paragon spyware had targeted scores of users, including a journalist and members of the Mediterranea migrant sea rescue charity critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The government said in February that seven mobile phone users in Italy had been targeted by the spyware. Rome denied any involvement in illicit activities and said it had asked the National Cybersecurity Agency to look into the affair. A newly published report from the parliamentary committee on security, COPASIR, showed that Italian intelligence services had initially put on hold and then ended their contract with Paragon following the media outcry. The report said Italy's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies had activated contracts with Paragon in 2023 and 2024 respectively and used it on a very limited number of people, with permission from a prosecutor. The foreign intelligence agency used the spyware to search for fugitives, counter illegal immigration, alleged terrorism, organised crime, fuel smuggling and counter-espionage and internal security activities, COPASIR said. It said members of the Mediterranea charity were spied on "not as human rights activists, but in reference to their activities potentially related to irregular immigration", with permission from the government. Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni's point man on intelligence matters, authorised the use of Paragon spyware on Mediterranea activists Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia on September 5, 2024, the report said. Mantovano was not immediately available for comment. A Sicilian judge last month ordered six members of Mediterranea, including Casarini and Caccia, to stand trial on accusations of aiding illegal immigration, the first time crew members of a rescue vessel have faced such prosecution. All denied wrongdoing. The report found no evidence that Francesco Cancellato, a reported target and editor of investigative website Fanpage, had been put under surveillance using Paragon's spyware, as he had alleged to Reuters and other media outlets.
