The College of Cardinals held their sixth general congregation on Tuesday morning, confirming two cardinal electors will not participate in the upcoming May 7 conclave due to health reasons.

In an exhortation to young people published after his death, Pope Francis urged couples to prepare properly for marriage and commit themselves to “love that lasts a lifetime.”

Since his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was already known for his humility, closeness to the poor, and an austere lifestyle that spoke louder than words.

Thousands of people from more than 90 countries gathered in Rome this week to celebrate the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of People with Disabilities.

The way to evangelization is “unreserved openness” to others, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, said on the fourth day of the Novendiales, the Church’s nine days of mourning for Pope Francis.

Editor’s Note: On April 29, 2025, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti delivered this homily during the fourth Novendiales Mass for Pope Francis. EWTN’s translation from the Italian original.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne expects the upcoming papal conclave to last longer than the relatively brief gathering that elected Pope Francis in 2013, the German prelate revealed Tuesday in Rome.

Cardinal Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes, will be the first Haitian prelate in the Church’s history to participate and vote in a papal conclave.

As the world mourns Pope Francis during the nine-day "Novendiales," preparations begin for the tightly regulated conclave to elect the next pope.

On the feast of St. Catherine of Siena in 2021, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the “great female figure of faith” would continue to inspire a more joyful and fervent witness.

On April 28, 2025, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, delivered the following homily during the third day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina urged the faithful to “discern and order” the late pontiff’s reform initiatives while acknowledging the sense of loss felt by Rome’s Catholics in his homily on the third day of “Novendiales” Masses for Pope Francis.

Among those at the Pope's funeral was a 31-year-old Kurdish woman, who fled Iraq with her husband and four children due to ISIS violence and a lack of basic services and future prospects.

Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot participate in a conclave. Out of the 134 cardinals under 80 taking part in the upcoming 2025 conclave, 15 are 79 years old — some making it under the cutoff just weeks before their 80th birthday.

Imagine that your cellphone rings and the display says the call is from a “private number.” You expect it to be a telemarketer, but instead when you answer, you hear a man with an Argentine accent say: “This is Francis. I received your letter.”

Ahead of the May 7 conclave, evangelization challenges, interfaith relations, and confronting the ongoing abuse crisis topped the agenda when more than 180 cardinals gathered Monday for their fifth general congregation since Pope Francis’ death.

The five youngest cardinals lead sees in Australia, Mongolia, Portugal, and Canada as well as a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Two of them are Eastern-rite Catholics. Three were made cardinals in the last consistory before the conclave. 

The recent death of Pope Francis on April 21 has reignited interest in the centuries-old “Prophecy of the Popes,” also known as the St. Malachy prophecy, which some say indicates that Pope Francis was the last pope the Church will ever have.

The Vatican announced Monday that the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

The six-kilometer journey that transported Pope Francis’ body from St. Peter’s Basilica to St. Mary Major featured profound symbolism and emotion.

In a video message published after his death, but recorded in January, Pope Francis encouraged young people to work on listening well to others.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided over the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, urging the Church to follow Pope Francis’ example as “instruments of mercy for humanity.”

Carlo went on pilgrimage to see John Paul II, offered up his suffering from cancer for Benedict XVI, and was later beatified during the pontificate of Pope Francis. Now, it will be up to the next pope to canonize the Church’s first millennial saint.

On April 27, 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, primary celebrant of the second day of mourning, one day after Pope Francis’ funeral, offered the following homily as published by the Vatican on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday.