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IOL News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The dope on the Pope
Anticipation gripped the Catholic world Thursday as the cardinals tasked with choosing a new pope prepared to retreat behind the heavy doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel for their second day of voting. The Catholic Church now has its newest pope, after Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pontiff, becoming Pope Leo XIV. Many Catholics are hoping the American will act as a unifying figure, bringing together different factions. Seen as a moderate with some progressive stances, the new pope is not expected to break significantly from the approach set by the late Pope Francis. On 7 May, 133 cardinals filed into the Sistine Chapel to begin their voting. In the late afternoon on 8 May, white smoke billowed out from the chapel's chimney, signalling the selection of a new pope after the fourth round of voting. With voting stretching over just two days, this year's conclave is comparable in length to those in the most recent past. Prior to the mid-19th century, it was typical for conclaves to extend over weeks or even months. The 1740 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XIV, for example, lasted 181 days. Some of the very first conclaves, such as the ones beginning in 1268 and 1292, even lasted more than two years. In the past two centuries, however, conclaves have become much shorter affairs. The conclaves that elected Pope Francis in 2013 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 both lasted just two days, while Pope John Paul II's conclave in 1978 was three days. "Usually, we get a short one because, in some ways, there's an obvious candidate to succeed," said Professor James Kelly, an associate professor in the history of Catholicism at Durham University. In contrast, in modern times, a longer conclave has typically suggested there were multiple candidates being considered by the cardinals, added Prof Kelly. Although quite a few names were discussed as possible contenders prior to the conclave, it's clear that the cardinals came to a decision fairly quickly. "Most cardinals are sensitive to media speculation and would worry about the PR implications of a longer conclave," said Donald Prudlo, a professor of Catholic studies at the University of Tulsa. The 69-year-old American begins his papacy slightly older than the average pope since the start of the 18th century. Popes have typically started the role anywhere from early 50s to late 70s, with the mean age being 65. Fun fact: Popes on average begin their papacy at age 65 The youngest pope since the 16th century shares a name with the newly-elected pontiff. Leo X, who became pope aged 37, was even younger than Jude Law's fictional character Pope Pius XIII in the 2016 television drama The Young Pope. Despite his youthful age, Pope Leo X's papacy was unexpectedly cut short after he died at 45, his pontificate lasting less than nine years. Another unusually young pope was Clement VII, who began his papacy at the age of 44 in 1523. He served for just over a decade, during which time King Henry VIII broke away to establish the Church of England after the pontiff refused to annul the monarch's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Born in Chicago, Robert Prevost is the first US pope, the first to come from North America, and the second from the Americas. Until Pope Francis was elected in 2013, all popes since Pope Zachary in 741 had been European. Fun fact: Over three-quarters of popes were born within the boundaries of modern-day Italy Although Robert Prevost was born in the United States, he served in Peru for many years and obtained Peruvian citizenship alongside his American passport in 2015. As the number of Catholics from continents like South America and Africa has risen, speculation was rife that the cardinals may yet again select a pope from outside Europe as a recognition of the increasing diversity of the church. With the selection of Pope Leo XIV, these rumblings have been proven true. Fun fact: The Global Catholic population grew most in Africa & the Americas under Pope Francis The choice of a pope from outside Europe was likely helped by the efforts of the former pontiff, Pope Francis, to diversify the College of Cardinals. Until Francis appointed more cardinals from other continents, most had always been from Europe. And cardinals appointed by Francis made up most of those eligible to vote in this year's conclave. Only those younger than 80 years old when the papal seat became vacant could act as "cardinal-electors". Although there are currently 252 living cardinals, only 135 were eligible as voters, with two absent, leaving 133 cardinals who cast their votes. Robert Prevost has selected the papal name of Leo XIV, one with a long history among his predecessors. The most recent pope to use the same papal name was Pope Leo XIII, a progressive pontiff who served from 1878 to 1903. Among all past popes, the most common papal name has been John, popular for its associations with several key Christian figures, including John the Apostle and John the Baptist. After John, the most common names have been Gregory and Benedict. Papal names have almost always been taken from past popes or well-known saints. The one name the new pope will almost certainly not have considered, however, is Peter. Saint Peter was the first supreme pontiff of Rome and apostle of Jesus, according to Christian belief. Taking the name would add the "pressure of expectation," explained Prof Kelly. "You don't want to follow the lead apostle. Who wants to be Peter the second? You know you're never going to quite live up to it."
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Peter Lynch breaks Irish marathon record in Dusseldorf
Peter Lynch set a new Irish record in a marathon on Sunday as he finished third in the Dusseldorf event. Lnych, a member of Kilkenny City Harrier club, came home in a time of 2:09:36. The record was only six months old, set by Hiko Tonosa in the Dublin Marathon. Tonasa's time was 2:09:42, meaning Lynch was six seconds faster. Lynch, formerly based in Okalahoma as a graduate of the University of Tulsa, runs for the Puma Elite team in the US. He recorded an Athletics Ireland 'B' standard time for this year's World Championships in Tokyo. The race in Germany was won by Alex Meier of USA in 2:08:32.
Herald Malaysia
28-04-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope's burial place a powerful symbol of papacy
Pope's burial place a powerful symbol of papacy Pope Francis' decision to be buried in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major is 'surprising… but not novel,' according to historian Donald Prudlo, who in this interview reflects on the significance of papal burial places. Apr 28, 2025 Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday in the Papal Basilica of St Mary Major, the first Pope in over 120 years to be buried somewhere other than Saint Peter's (ANSA) By Christopher Wells On April 26, Saturday, Pope Francis became the first Pope in over 120 years to be buried outside the precincts of St. Peter's Basilica. 'But over the course of 266 pontiffs, there have been numerous burial places,' says historian Donald Prudlo, Warren Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa. 'When a Catholic thinks about the death of the Pope, they tend to gravitate to St. Peter's,' he told Vatican News. 'And it's true that more than half of the popes in the Church's history are laid to rest within Saint Peter's,' dating back to the original church structure built by Constantine, the first Christian emperor. But if Pope Francis' choice to be buried outside St. Peter's, and what is now Vatican City, 'is surprising… it is certainly not novel,' Prudlo said. In the past 200 years, two Popes—Pius IX in the wake of the Italian Risorgimento, and Leo XIII, his immediate successor—found their final resting places in Roman churches, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran, respectively. And over the centuries, various Popes were laid to rest in different Italian cities, in France (during the period Popes resided at Avignon), and even as far away as Germany and Ukraine. Prudlo notes that Pope Francis is the eighth Roman Pontiff whose final resting place lies within the walls of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. 'There were some from the Middle Ages, Honorius III and Nicholas IV,' he said, before becoming 'a particular place of papal burial in the 16th century.' Two popes in particular—Pius V, a Dominican; and Sixtus V, a Franciscan—have been joined by the first Jesuit Pope. 'So in a lot of ways,' said Prudlo, it's a place particularly friendly to the religious orders.' However, he continued, the largest and oldest church in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is also marked by a special Marian devotion,' the devotion, so loved and valued by Pope Francis and by the Roman people, to the Icon of Mary under the title of 'Salus Populi Romani.' 'The place of interment can be a symbol of the papacy,' says Prudlo. 'This particular choice by Pope Francis is a very powerful one. It reassociates the Catholic Church with devotion to the Virgin Mary. It shows his closeness to the Roman people in his devotion to the Salus Populi Romani icon. And it reinforces the idea that it is not necessary that the popes should be buried at Saint Peter's.' At the same time, he added, the decision of so many previous popes to be buried in the Basilica dedicated to the first Pope, a 'depositio ad Sanctus, being buried near the bones of Saint Peter himself, is also a very strong statement, a statement of the unity and perpetuity of the Petrine line.' Pope Francis' has been interred in a niche directly adjacent to the chapel housing the icon.--Vatican News
Irish Independent
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Peter Lynch sets Irish marathon record with podium finish
Lynch, who runs for the Puma Elite team in the US, is coached by retired Irish international Alistair Cragg and is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. Lynch's time was inside the Athletics Ireland B standard for this year's World Championships in Tokyo. The 27-year-old had been in fantastic form through the early part of 2025, running an Irish 10-mile record earlier this month of 45:59 and clocking a 1:01:15 half marathon in January. Fearghal Curtin came home fourth in the same race in Dusseldorf, clocking 2:11:35 on his marathon debut, with victory going to USA's Alex Meier in 2:08:36. Meanwhile at the London Marathon, Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa smashed the women-only world record by 26 seconds, the Olympic silver medallist taking victory in 2:15:50. She kicked away from Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei to clinch her first London Marathon win after finishing second to Peres Jepchirchir last year. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was third in 2:19:00. The men's race was won by Kenya's Sabastian Sawe in 2:02:27 – the second-fastest ever London Marathon time. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo was second on his marathon debut, clocking 2:03:37.
Irish Examiner
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Peter Lynch breaks Irish marathon record by six seconds
Peter Lynch broke the Irish marathon record to secure a podium finish in Dusseldorf this morning, the Kilkenny City Harrier clocking 2:09:36 to carve six seconds off the mark set in Dublin last October by Hiko Tonosa. Lynch, who runs for the Puma Elite team in the US, is coached by retired Irish international Alistair Cragg and is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. Lynch's time was inside the Athletics Ireland B standard for this year's World Championships in Tokyo. The 27-year-old had been in fantastic form through the early part of 2025, running an Irish 10-mile record earlier this month of 45:59 and clocking a 1:01:15 half marathon in January. Fearghal Curtin came home fourth in the same race in Dusseldorf, clocking 2:11:35 on his marathon debut, with victory going to USA's Alex Meier in 2:08:36. Meanwhile at the London Marathon, Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa smashed the women-only world record by 26 seconds, the Olympic silver medallist taking victory in 2:15:50. She kicked away from Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei to clinch her first London Marathon win after finishing second to Peres Jepchirchir last year. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was third in 2:19:00. The men's race was won by Kenya's Sabastian Sawe in 2:02:27 – the second-fastest ever London Marathon time. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo was second on his marathon debut, clocking 2:03:37.
