The 2025 papal conclave began on May 7 with 115 cardinal electors locked inside the Sistine Chapel. Following two days of voting and black smoke, white smoke appeared on May 8, signaling a successful election. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re announced the new pope: Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, now Pope Leo XIV—the first American to hold the papacy.
The Passing of Pope Francis
Pope Francis died on April 21 after a stroke, ending a 12-year pontificate marked by social justice, environmental advocacy, and outreach to the marginalized. After a nine-day mourning period and funeral on April 30, the Church entered sede vacante.