The papal fisherman’s ring and lead seal were nulled during the 12th general congregation of the College of Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Vatican on Tuesday released photos of the Sistine Chapel prepared for the arrival of the cardinal electors who will select the next pope in the conclave set to begin on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Cardinals ended nine requiem Masses for Pope Francis, linking the apostles’ sorrow after Christ’s death to the Church’s mourning and hope in the Resurrection.

Before the conclave, the cardinals held 12 general congregations at the Vatican to reflect on the Church’s state and its challenges in today’s world.

The greatest pre-conclave homily was preached by St. John Paul II in 1978, on the Gospel where Christ asks Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’ — the same Gospel heard in churches around the world this past Sunday.

On May 4, 2025, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the former prefect of the prefect of the supreme tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, delivered the following homily during the ninth day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis.

On the ninth and final day of Novendiales, the nine days of mourning for Pope Francis, French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti reflected on the papal mission to love and serve Christ and his Church.

Of the 133 cardinals with the right to vote in this conclave, 108 were created by Pope Francis and therefore will be participating in the election of a pontiff for the first time.

On May 3, 2025, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, the former prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, delivered the following homily during the 8th day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis.

Pope Francis desired that consecrated Catholic men and women possess "a heart and a spirit pure and free enough" to love and serve the least among us, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime said at the eighth Novendiales Mass on Saturday.

At the eighth Novendiales Mass on Saturday, Pope Francis was hailed as a "humble and compassionate pastor," one who maintained "unwavering confidence in the vocation of women religious."

St. Athanasius played a key role at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and defended the Nicene Creed throughout his life.

The upcoming conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis will be the largest in the history of the Catholic Church, with 133 cardinal electors expected to gather in the Sistine Chapel on May 7, Vatican officials confirmed this week.

The conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on May 7. (Here’s a detailed explanation of how the process will work.) Over 130 cardinal electors will vote in the conclave, the largest group of cardinal electors ever.

On the seventh day of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti recalled the extreme sacrifice Catholics from the Eastern Catholic Churches have made to remain faithful to the successor of St. Peter, the pope.

Cardinal Francis Arinze has said that the Church needs “a pope who is full of fire for the kingdom of Christ.”

On May 1, 2025, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Francis, delivered the following homily during the sixth day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis.

Not only did Pope Francis value and promote the dignity of labor, he was someone who personally worked extremely hard, finding joy and rest in work itself, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández said at the sixth Novendiales Mass.

During the papal interregnum, Chinese authorities have moved to assert the Church in China’s autonomy by unilaterally ‘electing’ two bishops, including in a diocese with a Vatican-appointed bishop.

There are currently 252 cardinals, 133 of whom are eligible and expected to vote in the conclave. They range in age from 45 to 99. Who are they?

Pope Francis during his pontificate appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors. There are 14 cardinals representing the United States and Canada  — 10 from the United States and four from Canada.

The College of Cardinals on Wednesday called on Catholics around the world to pray for them as they prepare to enter the conclave next week to elect the next pope, acknowledging the “enormity of the task ahead” in choosing the next successor of Peter.

The archdioceses of Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares and Kenyan Cardinal John Njue on Wednesday both confirmed the two prelates will not participate in the upcoming papal conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri on Wednesday recalled one of the traditional titles for the pope, the “servant of the servants of God,” and emphasized the papal roles of service and confirming Catholics in the faith.