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BBC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Audio Live from Rome - all you need to know about Pope Leo XIV
The world was watching as American Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter's Basilica earlier this week. William Crawley, live from Rome, gathers reaction from around the world. He's joined by Austen Ivereigh, biographer of Pope Francis, and Professor Anna Rowlands, Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice at Durham University. British Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe gives his first interview after voting in the conclave and tells the programme how he found the experience. We hear the reaction from Catholics in the UK and around world and explore how an American Pope will shape not only the Catholic church, but global politics going forwards. Presenter: William Crawley Producers: Dan Tierney in Rome; Katy Davis & Rosie Dawson in Salford Studio Managers: Jonathan Esp and Amy Brennan Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Editor: Chloe Walker
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
White smoke from Sistine Chapel confirms new Pope elected
A new Pope has been elected with white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel confirming the news to the world. The pontiff is the 267th Pope, becoming the religious leader of Catholics across the globe and someone believed to be called to be the successor to St Peter, who was the first. Shortly after 5pm UK time on Thursday, crowds in St Peter's Square bore witness to history as white smoke billowed into the air from a specially-erected chimney at the chapel, in the age-old tradition. Onlookers erupted into cheers and applause as bells tolled to confirm the news. Some 133 cardinals entered the chapel on Wednesday afternoon, with the secret conclave meeting getting under way behind closed doors shortly before 5pm UK time, as the group were cut off from all communications with the outside world. The timing means it took cardinals only around 24 hours to elect their new leader. Each of the electors, mostly dressed in distinctive bright red vestments, had taken an oath pledging secrecy ahead of the process of casting anonymous ballots for their chosen name. At a special mass ahead of the conclave, cardinals were reminded of the 'choice of exceptional importance' they must make. Three UK cardinals took part in conclave – Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is Irish-born, is seen as an American cardinal having ministered mainly in the US. Cardinal Nichols had called on people to pray for himself and other cardinals as they embarked on the secret voting process, adding that he felt 'quite intimidated' knowing the world was watching to see who they would choose. The voting cardinals – those aged under 80 who were the only ones eligible to cast a ballot – were urged to 'invoke the help of the Holy Spirit' to help them elect a pope 'whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history'. In the mass in St Peter's Basilica ahead of conclave, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said the pontiff would need to be a person who can 'awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today's society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God'. Once a new Pope accepts his election, it is usual that he would appear fairly quickly thereafter on the front balcony of St Peter's Basilica which overlooks St Peter's Square. An announcement in Latin of 'Habemus Papam' – meaning 'we have a Pope' is made alongside the new pontiff's appearance. This conclave was thought to be one of the most diverse of any meeting of cardinals before, representing some 70 countries and hailing from places like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga which had not had a cardinal before. Pope Francis had appointed some 108 of the 133 cardinals who took part in the conclave to choose his successor. Francis was vocal on politics, speaking out against war and climate change, as he urged more focus on the poor and downtrodden of the world. His funeral last month drew hundreds of thousands of mourners, including world leaders such as US president Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Such was Francis's popularity, he was dubbed by many to have been 'the people's pope'.
BreakingNews.ie
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
More black smoke from Sistine Chapel signals wait for new pope
Black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning, signalling that a new pope has yet to be chosen. Cardinals resumed voting in the secret conclave, having already failed to choose a new pope in the first round of voting on Wednesday evening. Up to four rounds of voting can take place each full day of conclave, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Smoke is only expected up to twice a day, as ballots from two successive rounds are generally burned together if no pope is chosen in either round. The cardinals began their behind-closed-doors meeting shortly before 5pm Irish time on Wednesday. Pope Francis was elected after five ballots, and white smoke on the second day of that conclave confirmed the news to the world in 2013. The cardinals in this conclave are gathering to elect the 267th pope and have, as is tradition, been cut off from communications with the outside world. At a pre-conclave mass on Wednesday, they were reminded of the 'choice of exceptional importance' they must make in electing the next pope . A new pope requires a two-thirds majority in the voting. Should the cardinals fail to reach an agreement on a candidate after three days of voting, they are entitled to a one-day break for prayer and free discussion. Three UK cardinals are taking part in the conclave: Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche. Meanwhile. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is Irish-born, is considered an American cardinal, having ministered mainly in the US. Cardinal Nichols had called on people to pray for himself and other cardinals as they embark on the secret voting process, adding that he feels 'quite intimidated' knowing the world is watching to see who they choose. The voting cardinals, those aged under 80 who are the only ones eligible to cast a ballot, were urged to 'invoke the help of the Holy Spirit' to help them elect a pope 'whom the (Catholic) Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history'. Addressing them in St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said: 'To pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance. 'This is a human act for which every personal consideration must be set aside, keeping in mind and heart only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and of humanity.' The pontiff – believed to be someone called to be the successor to St Peter, who was the first pope – will need to be a person who can 'awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today's society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God', Cardinal Battista Re added. This conclave is thought to be one of the most diverse of any meeting of cardinals, representing some 70 countries and hailing from places such as Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga, which had not had a cardinal before. Pope Francis had appointed some 108 of the 133 cardinals who will choose his successor. Advertisement
Malay Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Vatican set for historic vote as largest-ever conclave begins choosing new pope
VATICAN CITY, May 7 — The Sistine Chapel was decked out to host a papal election Tuesday as cardinals from around the globe moved into a Vatican guest house ahead of the conclave to choose Pope Francis's successor. The magnificence of Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes now vaults above more mundane rows of stackable chairs and desks marked with simple place-settings listing the surnames of the cardinal electors. Senior prelates were seen moving wheeled suitcases to the Vatican's Santa Marta guesthouse, with Britain's Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe calling out 'bye! Bye!' to well-wishers as they prepared for an uncertain period of prayer and politics. Voting will begin Wednesday after the chapel is placed under a news blackout under pain of excommunication and will continue until one of the cardinals has won two-thirds support in a secret ballot. In the 20th and 21st centuries this has taken between two and five days. Pope Francis died on 21 April, triggering a call for the 133 cardinal electors to gather in the Sistine Chapel to select the new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. With representatives from almost 70 countries across five continents, this conclave is the largest and the most international ever. 'Tackling abuse' Some 80 per cent of the cardinals were appointed by Francis, an energetic reformer from Buenos Aires who helped open up the Church during his 12-year papacy. But experts warn against assuming they will choose a progressive in his mould, and many conservatives are hoping for someone who will turn the focus back onto traditional doctrine. The 2,000-year-old Catholic Church has huge global influence but is struggling to adapt to the modern world and recover its reputation after the scandal of widespread child sex abuse by priests. A handout photo shows 133 balls with numbers corresponding to each cardinal elector in the Sistine Chapel. — AFP pic/Vatican Media For the past fortnight, the cardinals have been holding near daily preparatory meetings to discuss the challenges — and what they want and need from their new leader. In the final meeting before the conclave on Tuesday morning, they discussed Francis's reforms — on tackling abuse and on Vatican finances, among others, according to press spokesman Matteo Bruni. They also discussed divisions within the Church and the need for a pope to bring hope, he said. Francis dedicated many of his pronouncements to calling for peace around the world, notably in the Middle East and Ukraine. In a statement, the cardinals noted 'with regret' the lack of progress towards ending those conflicts, calling for ceasefires and negotiations without preconditions. 'Five or six contenders' The cardinal electors — those aged under 80 — will gather for a mass on Wednesday morning ahead of the conclave, which begins at 4:30pm that afternoon. Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, were elected within two days but the longest papal election in Church history lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271. More than a dozen names are circulating as potential frontrunners, from Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to Hungarian conservative Péter Erdő. But bookmakers in London and Dublin were quoting odds suggesting Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's chief diplomat, was the favourite at 5/2, followed by the Philippines' Luis Antonio Tagle at 3/1. But with no candidate lists and no campaigning, and given the diversity of the electors, many experts warn there could be a surprise. Franco-Algerian cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco said the preparatory meetings — which include electors as well as older cardinals — have helped bring together a very disparate group. 'Finally we have got to know each other,' he told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, adding that there are 'at least five or six' contenders. A handout photo shows the "Room of Tears", a small room next to the Sistine Chapel, with the vestments of the next Pope displayed in three different sizes, on the eve of the conclave at the Vatican. — AFP pic/Vatican Media 'Living history' At the Vatican on Tuesday, tourists mulled over what they would like to see in the new pontiff. 'He must not be too closed-minded. He must support young people who have different values than us,' said Mexican tourist Veronica de Garcia, 30. But 'a pope who is in favour of abortion is unthinkable, because there are things that cannot be negotiated,' said Enzo Orsingher, 78, from Rome. The cardinals are sworn to secrecy, risking excommunication if they reveal what happens in the conclave, and are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have a decision. The Vatican said it would cut the phone signal within the tiny city state from 3:00pm on Wednesday until a new pope is elected — although this will not affect St Peter's Square. Required to leave their mobile telephones behind when the voting process begins, the cardinals will let the world know their progress by burning their ballots to produce smoke — black for no decision, white for a new pope. The staff who will support them during the election, from medics to lift operators, canteen and cleaning staff, are also bound to secrecy, and took their own oaths on Monday. — AFP
Sky News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
What are the chances of a British Pope? These are the UK cardinals going to Rome
Why you can trust Sky News With the death of Pope Francis, cardinals from around the world will soon gather in the Vatican to choose a new pontiff. Francis, of course, hailed from Argentina - but could the next pope be British? It's been 866 years since the papacy of Britain's only ever pontiff (Pope Adrian IV) ended in 1159, and the history of the Catholic Church in the UK since then has been turbulent, with King Henry VIII perhaps the main culprit. There are currently four British cardinals, three of whom are young enough to vote in the conclave. And while none of them are considered odds-on favourites for the top job, it's true that surprises do happen behind the shuttered doors of the secretive congregation of cardinals. So who are the British cardinals, and could one of them be the next pope? Head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 79 Born in Crosby near Liverpool, as a child Cardinal Vincent Nichols hoped to be a lorry driver but as a teenager reportedly felt the calling to join the priesthood while watching Liverpool FC. He has served as the Archbishop of Westminster since 2009, the most senior position in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Before that he was the Archbishop of Birmingham. As cardinal, he is known for leading the church's work tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, for which he received the UN Path to Peace Award. He was criticised by the UK's Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which said he "demonstrated a lack of understanding" of the impact of abuse and "seemingly put the reputation of the church first". Cardinal Nichols, responding to the findings, told Sky News he was "ashamed at what has happened in the context of the Catholic Church" and promised to improve the church's response. "He has quite a reputation," says religious historian and writer Catherine Pepinster. "But I don't think anybody has suggested he should be made pope." He himself has appeared to rule himself out of the running as well, telling reporters he was "too old, not capable". The Francis ally Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, 79 Born in London in 1945, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe entered the Dominican Order of preachers in 1965 and was ordained as a priest in 1971. As Master of the Dominican Order - the first Englishman in its 800-year history - he was popular for his speeches around the monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the modern world. He was appointed cardinal just last year, on 7 December 2024, and is viewed as an ally of Pope Francis who could vote for a candidate who would continue his work. He's a popular figure, says Michael Walsh, an expert on Catholic issues, but his age likely rules him out from serious consideration, he added. "Timothy Radcliffe is an interesting one," says Ms Pepinster. "There are a lot of people who listen to what he says. "He has a reputation for speaking very well so possibly (he could be considered), but he's nearly 80." Like Cardinal Nichols, however, Cardinal Radcliffe appears to have confirmed he does not want the job, telling reporters he believed the Holy Spirit was "far too wise to even think of me (as pope) for the shortest moment". The diplomat Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, 87 Made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019, Michael Fitzgerald has been one of the leading experts on Christian-Muslim relations and served as one of the Catholic Church's delegates to the Arab League of nations. His ministry saw him spend time in Africa and he was appointed titular archbishop of Nepte in Tunisia. He is known for engaging with other faiths and wrote a booklet to help Catholics understand and support Muslims during Ramadan. He also served as apostolic nuncio to Egypt, a diplomatic role similar to an ambassador. At 87, he is too old to vote for the next pope but can still play a key role behind the scenes in discussions before the conclave starts. It's also not technically impossible for him to be elected pontiff himself, despite being too old to cast his own vote, though it isn't likely. The Vatican insider Cardinal Arthur Roche, 75 Born in West Yorkshire in 1950, Cardinal Arthur Roche was ordained a priest at the age of 25 in the Diocese of Leeds. Within the church, some have regarded him as a cleric who was being fast-tracked to hold high office. His time as Bishop of Leeds was not without controversy, both for liturgical reasons and also for his programme of closures and mergers of churches in his diocese. He has held various posts in the Vatican and was made an Archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, before being made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022. Dr Walsh says that Cardinal Roche isn't viewed as a "significant character", while Ms Pepinster suggested that his tenure as a Vatican official could work against him when it comes to cardinals coming in from all over the world. 0:17 A British pope? Maybe not this time "I don't think there's anything against having an English pope at all," says Mr Walsh, when asked how Britain was viewed generally. But with all four British cardinals now 75 or older, age may make them unlikely candidates to be pope, he said. "I think they will look for someone younger," he added. There's also a growing consensus that, like with Francis, the next pope should come from beyond Europe, Ms Pepinster added. Many believe that, as the Church has expanded beyond its Catholic heartlands, the next pope should come from elsewhere. However, Sky News understands there are whispers around the Vatican that suggest the next pope will indeed be from Europe, and likely from Italy.
