Will Italy get the papacy back after half a century of foreigners?

May 1, 2025 5:01 PM

Will Italy get the papacy back after half a century of foreigners?

As Catholic cardinals meet to choose a new pope, they will face a big question: Is it time, after three consecutive non-Italian pontiffs, to give the papacy back to the nation that held it for most of the 2,000-year history of the Roman Catholic Church? For 455 years between the death of Dutchman Adrian VI in 1523 and the election of Poland's John Paul II in 1978, the Italians had total control of the papacy. In all, roughly 80% of the Church's 266 popes have been Italian. But John Paul was su...

Cardinals to meet after death of Pope Francis, plan for funeral

April 22, 2025 9:30 AM

Cardinals to meet after death of Pope Francis, plan for funeral

Cardinals were due to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis' funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church. Francis, 88, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, the Vatican said, ending an often turbulent reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised. The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year for double ...