Earlier this morning at the Vatican, the College of Cardinals gathered inside St. Peter’s Basilica for a Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass. This Mass was the final step before the opening of today’s conclave. Published below is an official translation of the homily, as delivered by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, main celebrant and Dean of the ...read more

More than 6,000 journalists and news agencies have applied for temporary accreditation to the Holy See Press Office for the conclave.  All of them are plugged into the headquarters of the Catholic Church, trying to get a better understanding of what is going on inside the walls of Vatican city.  One of the people closest ...read more

Over the past few days in our mini-blog series, Getting to Habemus Papam we invited you to remember the conclaves which have elected the Popes of the past two centuries. In fact, we went one step further and thought you might also enjoy using this timeline to browse your way back and forth through the ...read more

Benedict XVI 2 days, 4 ballots Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger was elected at 78 years old. There were 115 cardinals in the conclave which took place from April 18- 19, 2005.  Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on February 11, 2013. His resignation went into effect on February 28, 2013. CNS photo ...read more

During the 20th century, the length of papal Conclaves has never exceeded 5 days. On the basis of this precedent, one would imagine that a Pope will be elected by Saturday, March 16. (However, precedents are being broken regularly in Rome in these recent weeks.) 1903 — 4 days, 7 votes (Pope Pius X elected) ...read more

John Paul II 3 days, 8 ballots In the second conclave of the year, 100 electors gathered from October 14-16, 1978 to elect Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, John Paul II. He was the first non-Italian since the Dutch pope, Pope Adrian VI, in 1522. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. CNS photo ...read more

John Paul I 2 days, 4 ballots 101 cardinals elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I during a conclave which ran from August 25 – 26, 1978.  Pope John Paul I died 34 days after his election on September 28. He was 65 years old. CNS photo ...read more

Paul VI 3 days, 6 ballots Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, Paul VI was chosen in a conclave with 80 cardinals present.The conclave took place from June 19-21, 1963. Pope Paul VI was 65 years old when he was elected and died 15 years later on August 6, 1978. CNS photo ...read more

John XXIII 3 days, 11 ballots Fifty-one cardinals were in the conclave of October 25-28, 1958 when Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, John XXIII was elected. He was 76 years old at the time and he died on June 3, 1963. It was Pope John XXIII who called the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962. CNS photo ...read more

Pius XII 2 days, 3 ballots The conclave took place from 1 to 2 of March 1939. 62 Cardinals were present. The College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, Pius XII. He was 63 years old. He died on October 9, 1958. CNS photo ...read more