No one gathers Christians—Catholics and non-Catholics alike—throughout the world, however imperfectly, in the way the pope does. The world needs the pope.

German Catholic bishops say that even where the party has not tipped into extremism, it has failed to reform itself of such tendencies. They charge that a nationalism incompatible with Christianity has become the AfD’s animating ideology.

Who are the frontrunners entering the conclave, and how the voting could quickly confirm papabile lists or pivot to an unexpected candidate

Cardinal Frank Leo, the 53-year-old archbishop of Toronto, told Gerard O’Connell that he does not think age or nationality is an important factor in choosing the next pope. His top priority? A leader who listens.

The choice of method, more than any difference in underlying doctrine, is where Pope Francis departed most radically from his predecessors.

The conclave opens tomorrow, and the energy around the Holy See Press Office is alarmingly calm.

The chair of Peter may be empty, but the Vatican is still full.

As the conclave draws near, I am becoming more nervous and apprehensive about what is ahead of us. But all I am asked to do is to trust in God.

The popular website, where people are randomly assigned a cardinal to pray for, has been revived for the 2025 conclave.

The contrasting decisions regarding Marko Rupnik’s artwork at Fátima and Lourdes reveal much about the church’s commitment to those who have been harmed.

The papal conclave will take place as usual in the hallowed space of the Sistine Chapel. What is the history of this famous church and its artistic treasures?

For the Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year C, John Connell reflects on the Gospel’s message of Jesus as a shepherd, who knows his sheep intimately and cares for them with great love.

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed legislation that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect on May 2.

Inside the quirky procedures and protocols of the secretive conclave, with Thomas Reese, S.J.

The choice of a papal name is said to be the new pope’s first important decision.

Trump’s tariffs hit an unlikely target—handmade Irish Christian art—and echo an ancient struggle over the sacred across borders.

In Pope John Paul II’s rules for the conclave, excommunication was always a possibility, but Pope Benedict XVI made it explicit, saying they must observe “absolute and perpetual secrecy.”

“Whoever follows Francis must take up the legacy of Vatican II and of Pope Francis and engage the world without fear because we have the Gospel,” Cardinal Reina said in an interview the Gerard O’Connell.

“I become agitated when they say it’s time for an American, it’s time for an African, it’s time for a South Islander. I think that is so stupid. It’s time for the successor of Peter for 2025. The priority is evangelization.”

Whoever is elected as the next pope, one thing is certain: The church does not belong to him.