St. Andrew Catholic Church

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. / Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 15:52 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, May 8 — the first pope from the United States. 

Smiling and waving while wearing more traditional papal garb than his predecessor — and appearing to hold back tears at certain points — Leo blessed the cheering masses assembled in St. Peter’s Square, proclaiming in confident Italian: “Peace be with you all!”

An Augustinian and a canon lawyer, Prevost spent over a decade ministering in South America before being called back to the U.S. to head the Augustinian Province of Chicago and was later elected prior general of the Augustinian order, serving in that role for a dozen years. He later returned to South America after Pope Francis in 2014 appointed him bishop in Chiclayo, Peru. Francis later called him to Rome in 2023 to head the highly influential Dicastery for Bishops. 

Prevost, 69, was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago. He is of Italian, French, and Spanish descent. He studied at an Augustinian minor seminary and later earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. 

He officially entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1978, making his solemn vows in 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1982 after studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. 

After being ordained, he earned a doctorate in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas (also known as the Angelicum) in 1987. 

Prevost returned to Chicago for a short time in 1987, serving as pastor for vocations and director of missions for the Augustinian Province of Chicago. He was then sent to Peru, where he served the Augustinians in various capacities including as a regional ecclesiastical judge and teacher of canon law in the diocesan seminary for Trujillo, Peru, for 10 years.

After being elected the head of the Augustinian Province of Chicago, Prevost returned to the U.S. in 1999. He was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001 and then reelected in 2007, serving as head of the order until 2013.

Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2014, and he was ordained titular bishop of Sufar that same year.

While serving the Church in Peru, Francis made Prevost a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in 2019 and then a member of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2020. In 2023, Francis made Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. In that capacity, Prevost played a key role in the selection process for diocesan bishops around the world and in the investigation of allegations against bishops.

In 2023, Prevost spoke to Vatican News about what he considered to be the “portrait of a bishop.”

“We are often preoccupied with teaching doctrine, the way of living our faith, but we risk forgetting that our first task is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ and to bear witness to our closeness to the Lord,” he told Vatican News.

“This comes first: to communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus,” he added. “It means that we ourselves are living it and sharing this experience.”

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in a Sept. 30, 2023, consistory.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Pete’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 15:32 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV greeted the world for the first time on Thursday with the words “Peace be with you all.”

The 69-year-old new pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the first pope from the United States on Thursday. A native of Chicago, Leo spoke in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, addressing the hundreds of thousands of people waiting in the square and streets below.

“Peace be with you all. Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who has given his life for God’s flock. I too would like that this greeting of peace enters into your heart, reaching your families, and all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to all the earth. Peace be with you,” Leo said in his opening lines.

The identity of the new pope was announced just over an hour after white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinal electors watched from balconies flanking the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica as Cardinal Dominique Mamberti declared in Latin: “Habemus papam!”

Minutes later, Pope Leo XIV appeared to enormous cheers from the excited crowd.

The peace of the risen Christ, he said, is a “disarming, humble, and persevering peace” that comes from God — a God who “loves us all unconditionally.”

He recalled his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who blessed Rome on Easter Sunday just hours before his death. “Allow me,” Leo said, “to follow that same blessing.”

“God loves us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Therefore, without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him like a bridge to be reached by God and his love,” Leo said.

The pope asked those present to help the Church to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, working for unity and peace. He thanked Pope Francis and the cardinals who chose him to be the successor of St. Peter, history’s first pope.

The pope added that he wants to “walk together … as a united Church, always searching for peace, justice, and trying to always work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.”

Pointing out that he is a member of the Augustinian religious order, Leo paraphrased the words of his founder, St. Augustine, who once said in a sermon: “With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop.”

In a special greeting to the Catholic Church of Rome, of which he is bishop, Leo said: “We must learn together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive, like this square with its ‘arms’ open to all, everyone who sees our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.”

Breaking off from Italian into Spanish, the pope greeted the people of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where he was bishop from 2015 until Pope Francis brought him to the Vatican as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.

Speaking again in Italian, the pope said the faithful want “a synodal Church, one that looks always for peace, for charity, and to be close to those who suffer.”

Recalling the day’s feast day of Our Lady of Pompei, Pope Leo invited those present to pray a Hail Mary with him “for this new mission, but for the whole Church, for peace in the world.”

After the prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the new pope then bestowed his first apostolic blessing, “urbi et orbi,” on the city and the world.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Pete’s Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 14:32 pm (CNA).

On May 8, 2025, the first American pope was elected to lead the Catholic Church taking the name Pope Leo XIV.  Here is a prayer for our new pope:

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, 

give to your shepherd a spirit 

of courage and right judgment, a spirit 

of knowledge and love. By governing 

with fidelity those entrusted to his care, 

may he, as successor to the Apostle 

Peter and vicar of Christ, build your 

Church into a sacrament of unity, love, 

and peace for all the world.  

Amen. 

Let us pray for the pope. 

May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the power of his enemies. 

May your hand be upon your holy servant. 

And upon your son, whom you have anointed. 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen. 

Source: EWTN

null / Credit: CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 8, 2025 / 13:14 pm (CNA).

Follow here for live coverage as the conclave unfolds: updates, insights, and key moments in the election of the 266th successor to St. Peter and 267th leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square shortly after his election on Thursday, May 8, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 12:11 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 6:09 p.m. Rome time on Thursday, signaling that the College of Cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the bells of the basilica began to toll, confirming the election of a new pontiff. The crowds gathered as word spread throughout Rome that a new pope had been chosen.

The new pontiff appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at approximately 7:25 p.m. local time, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals and prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, announced in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!”

(“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”)

Before appearing on the balcony, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV spent time in the “Room of Tears,” a small chamber adjacent to the Sistine Chapel. This traditionally named room is where new pontiffs first don the papal vestments and have a moment of private prayer and reflection as they absorb the magnitude of their election to the Chair of St. Peter.

Following the announcement, Leo XIV addressed the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and those watching around the world, offering his first blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) as the new Roman pontiff.

Indian Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad of the Syro-Malabar Church, official of the Secretariat of State and organizer of papal trips, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

India’s Cardinal George Koovakad holds the daily task of drawing the names of nine cardinal electors to serve in special roles before each round of voting in the conclave currently underway to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter. 

As the most junior member of the College of Cardinals, Koovakad — the former prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue — is tasked with drawing out the names of three cardinal scrutineers, three cardinal infirmarii, and three cardinal revisers for every morning and afternoon voting session until a new pontiff is chosen, according to the Vatican’s apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis. 

Among the 133 cardinal electors sequestered inside the Vatican, the first three names randomly selected by Koovakad, as the college’s junior cardinal deacon, are the “scrutineers” responsible for counting and verifying the votes during the papal conclave.

To ensure the secrecy of each vote, scrutineers collect the folded ballot papers from the cardinal electors and place them into a box, which is then shaken several times to mix the ballots. Scrutineers are also tasked with opening the ballot boxes, reading each ballot aloud, and writing down the names of the cardinal voted for in an official document.    

The next three names drawn by the Indian cardinal are the “infirmarii” who are called to collect the votes of sick cardinal electors staying in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta who are unable to be physically present inside the Sistine Chapel with the other cardinals.

As part of the conclave voting process, infirmarii take ballot papers and a locked ballot box with an opening to the cardinal electors that are confined to their rooms due to ill health. After these votes are cast, infirmarii take the ballot box containing the ballot papers to the Sistine Chapel for counting.   

Lastly, Koovakad chooses three “revisers” by lot as part of the conclave voting process. Revisers are responsible for checking the ballots and ensuring scrutineers have “performed their task exactly and faithfully,” according to the norms outlined in Universi Dominici Gregis. 

Throughout the conclave, Koovakad also serves as the porter who opens and closes the doors of the Sistine Chapel when necessary, including when the infirmarii need to bring ballot papers and collect the votes of sick cardinals. 

Until a cardinal has the 89 votes — a two-thirds majority — required to become the next pope, Koovakad must continue his task of drawing by lot the nine cardinal electors tasked with ensuring the accountability and secrecy of the conclave elections.

Deborah True. / Credit: Vero Beach Police Department

CNA Staff, May 8, 2025 / 11:20 am (CNA).

The former administrator of a Florida Catholic parish pleaded no contest in court this month to charges that she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Vero Beach church years ago. 

Prosecutors had alleged in 2022 that Deborah True and Father Richard Murphy stole nearly $1.5 million in parish funds from Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach between 2015 and 2020.

Murphy died in March 2020. True, meanwhile, was charged with fraud and theft in connection with the alleged crime. She pleaded no contest to a charge of first-degree grand theft in Florida circuit court on May 1.

The former administrator faces up to a decade in prison and two decades of probation. She will also reportedly be required to pay back nearly $700,000 to the parish. 

A “no contest” plea is one in which a criminal defendant neither admits to a charge nor disputes it, effectively conceding that the prosecutor has enough evidence to find him or her guilty. 

Assistant State Attorney William Long told Treasure Coast Newspapers that True will be required to pay back the restitution in monthly installments or else “face being returned to prison,” according to the outlet. 

The plea deal “represented both the state’s pursuit of justice and what we thought was a fair sentence as well as the interest of the victims in this matter,” Long told the news service. 

Police had earlier concluded that from 2015–2020, Murphy and True had funnelled $1.5 million in parishioner donations into a bank account called “Holy Cross Catholic Church.” The account was hidden from the Diocese of Palm Beach, police said. 

Authorities have not taken any action against Murphy because of his death. According to Murphy’s obituary, True was his “longtime” secretary and his caregiver. Murphy was the pastor at Holy Cross for almost 23 years, from 1997 to 2020, True told Vero News at the time of Murphy’s death.

From left to right: Cardinal Louis Sako (Iraq), Cardinal Mario Zenari (Syria), Cardinal Dominique Mathieu (Iran), Cardinal Louis Sako (Iraq), Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Jerusalem), and Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero (Morocco). / Credits: Romy Haber/ACI MENA

ACI MENA, May 8, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).

As the conclave to elect a new pope continues, the presence of six cardinals currently serving in the Middle East and North Africa has drawn significant attention along with four others from Eastern Churches.

This paradigm shift reflects the profound transformation within the Catholic Church, as it increasingly emphasizes broader representation from the global peripheries and strengthens its commitment to addressing critical spiritual and humanitarian challenges — from political violence to interfaith dialogue and support for the poor and marginalized.

Here are the Middle Eastern cardinals participating in the conclave:

Cardinal Louis Sako (Iraq)

Born in Iraq in 1948, Sako became patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 2013 and was appointed cardinal on June 28, 2018. He is regarded as an influential theological voice who has approached the history of the Church of the East through a scholarly lens, transcending ethnic and nationalist tensions. A strong advocate for the ecumenical movement and Church unity, Sako has recently faced various challenges both within his Church and in his relationships with some Iraqi political figures.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Jerusalem)

Born in Italy in 1965, Pizzaballa is a member of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). At just 39, he was appointed custodian of the Holy Land. Named Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020, he was elevated to cardinal on Sept. 30, 2023. He has earned recognition for his dedication to his faithful and his unwavering public statements defending the Church and its members when they face attacks.

Cardinal Mario Zenari (Syria)

Born in Italy in 1946, Zenari was appointed apostolic nuncio to Syria in 2008 — a position he still holds today. He was elevated to cardinal on Nov. 19, 2016. While papal nuncios typically do not become cardinals, Pope Francis made an exception, highlighting his extraordinary trust in Zenari. The cardinal has worked diligently to strengthen consecrated life in Syria while bringing international attention to the Syrian people’s suffering.

Cardinal Dominique Mathieu (Iran)

Born in Belgium in 1963, Mathieu is part of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. After arriving in Lebanon in 2013, he was appointed archbishop of Tehran and Isfahan. Known for his expertise in interfaith dialogue, his empathy with causes in the Islamic world, and his persistent calls for global leaders to reject “policies of hegemony,” Mathieu was made cardinal on Dec. 7, 2024.

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco (Algeria)

Born in France in 1962, Vesco completed his studies in Jerusalem before moving to Algeria, where he helped revitalize the Dominican presence in the Diocese of Oran. He currently serves as archbishop of Algiers and was made cardinal by Pope Francis on Dec. 7, 2024. Vesco is known for his progressive views, particularly regarding family and women’s issues. A strong advocate for interreligious dialogue and the rejection of war, he has been vocal in opposing conflicts, including the war in Gaza. In an unusual move, the Algerian president granted him Algerian citizenship in 2023.

Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero (Morocco)

Born in Spain in 1952, López Romero joined the Salesian order and became archbishop of Rabat in 2018. He prominently welcomed Pope Francis during the pontiff’s visit to Morocco the following year — the same year he was elevated to cardinal (Oct. 5, 2019). His diverse diocese includes believers from 100 different nationalities. Open to ecumenical efforts and interfaith dialogue, López Romero believes migration stems from fundamental systemic problems rather than being a crisis itself and has proposed holding a synod dedicated to this topic.

Other cardinals from Eastern Churches

In addition to these six, the conclave includes four cardinals from Eastern Churches who serve outside the Middle East and North Africa. 

From India, there is Baselios Cleemis, archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and George Jacob Koovakad, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. 

Also participating in this conclave are Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, archbishop of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Mykola Bychok, bishop of the Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in Melbourne, Australia.

Notably, some cardinals in the conclave were born in the Arab world, such as Dominique Mamberti, born in Marrakesh (Morocco), and Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille, France, who was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria. Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who is of Palestinian descent, is also participating.

Black smoke billows from the chimney at 11:53 a.m. local time over St. Peter’s Square on May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 10:20 am (CNA).

It’s probably the most-watched smoke in the world: The billows of exhaust unfurl before the watchful eyes of thousands every conclave — the only communication allowed from the cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel to decide the next pope.

Whether it is black — meaning the majority has not been reached — or white — meaning the new pope has been elected — is a matter of extreme importance to the billions of Catholics living around the world.

But where does the smoke come from and how are the two colors produced?

It all starts with an iron stove set up in the Sistine Chapel. This particular stove has been used in each conclave since 1939, when Pope Pius XII was elected. A second stove, added in 2005, is also used.

In the older stove, the smoke is produced from burning the ballots on which the cardinal electors cast their votes, together with other documents from the process. The papers are placed in an upper door of the small stove, which is just over 3 feet tall and about 1.5 feet wide.

To prevent any confusion about the color of the smoke, in the 2005 conclave that gave the Church Pope Benedict XVI, a second, more modern stove was also used.

Historically, the white smoke was created by burning the ballots together with dry straw. The black smoke was made from the ballots, wet straw, and with the addition of pitch to darken the color. 

Since 2005, however, chemical compounds have been used (via five cartridges inserted into the more modern stove) to make the colors of the smoke more visibly black and white.

For white smoke, a compound of the chemicals potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin (also known as Greek pitch) is used, while potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur are used for the black smoke.

When the paper ballots and other documents are burned in the older stove, an electronic system is activated in the newer stove, triggering the cartridges to produce, in sequence, the chemicals to create a colored smoke lasting seven minutes.

To improve the smoke’s draught, the flue is preheated with electric heaters and even has a fan that can be turned on if needed.

Cardinals process to the Sistine Chapel as the conclave to elect the 266th successor to St. Peter, the 267th pope, begins on May 7, 2025. / Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 8, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The word conclave comes from the Latin “cum clave,” literally “with a key,” which conveys the image of the cardinal electors being locked in the Sistine Chapel until the new pope is elected.

Isolating the cardinals from outside influences began in 1271 when Pope Gregory X, after a conclave that lasted almost three years following the death of Clement IV — and which was marked by external political interference — approved the apostolic constitution Ubi Periculum, which imposed total isolation for the cardinals in addition to the requirement of continuous voting.

The legislative document prohibited the cardinal electors from receiving messages, visits, or any form of communication with the outside world. It also included pressure measures such as if they had not elected a pope after three days, their food was restricted: First, the most elaborate dishes were eliminated, then even wine.

The importance of secrecy became even more crucial in the modern era. During the 1903 conclave, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria invoked “jus exclusivae” — the right of veto enjoyed by some European Catholic monarchies such as Austria, Spain, and France — to invalidate the candidacy of Italian Cardinal Mariano Rampolla through a representative in the Sistine Chapel.

Although the veto did not prevent Rampolla from gaining several supporters, it very likely influenced the final choice.

As soon as he took the chair of Peter, the newly elected Pope Pius X immediately abolished the veto to protect the conclave from all secular interference. The Ubi Periculum was modified and eventually suspended, but its spirit remains in force in later documents, such as the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis of St. John Paul II (1996), which governs the current procedure for modern conclaves.

This document, which was amended by Benedict XVI before his resignation from the papacy in 2013, stipulates that violating the secrecy of the conclave is punishable by automatic excommunication (“latae sententiae”), one of the most severe sanctions under canon law.

The secrecy ends up being broken

However, the recent history of the Catholic Church shows that this secrecy eventually breaks. The 2013 conclave, in which Pope Francis was elected, is a clear example of how, despite strict secrecy, details about the voting rounds and the candidates with the most support were leaked.

Despite the confidentiality required by the process, journalist Gerard O’Connell reconstructed in his book “The Election of Pope Francis” how then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio allegedly received 45 votes in the second round of voting, a figure that rose to 85 in the fifth, thus exceeding the required two-thirds majority. 

He also revealed, citing internal sources, that the candidacies of Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola; Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also supposedly had strong showings in the initial ballots.

Even Pope Francis himself shared anecdotes from the conclave that elected him, such as Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes’ suggestion that he adopt the name Francis in honor of the saint of Assisi.

In 2024, journalist Javier Martínez Brocal published the book “El Sucesor” (“The Successor”) in which the late pontiff, the only one with the authority to reveal information about the conclave without violating secrecy, brought to light other details, including those of the 2005 conclave in which Benedict XVI was elected. 

Attempts to block the 2005 election of Benedict XVI 

Specifically, Pope Francis revealed that in the 2005 conclave, following the death of St. John Paul II, the cardinal electors used his name to “block the election of Ratzinger and then negotiate a third, different candidate.”

“It so happened that I ended up with 40 of the 115 votes in the Sistine Chapel. It was enough to stop the candidacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, because, if they had continued voting for me, he would not have been able to reach the two-thirds necessary to be elected pope,” he recounted in the book by the Spanish journalist.

Pope Francis, the only one authorized to speak about what was going on in the conclave, stated bluntly: “They used me.”

After making this maneuver public, he made it clear that by voting for him, “the idea of ​​those behind the votes” was not that then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would be elected. “It was a maneuver in all respects. The idea was to block the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. They were using me, but behind the scenes, they were already thinking of proposing another cardinal. They still didn’t agree on who, but they were about to throw out a name,” he emphasized in the book.

In any case, this phenomenon of airing the details of the conclave is not new. In 2005, after the election of Benedict XVI, journalist Lucio Brunelli published a detailed account of the conclave in the magazine Limes based on notes taken by a cardinal. Although these were secondary elements, they made it clear that the wall of silence can sometimes crack.

According to the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, secrecy regarding the dynamics of the conclave also extends to non-elector cardinals, who this week participated in the general congregations, the meetings prior to the conclave.

This obligation, in Latin “graviter onerata ipsorum conscientia,” meaning “it weighs on the conscience of those involved,” underscores the profound moral responsibility to maintain secrecy even after the election has taken place, unless the pope himself grants a special dispensation.

However, the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, is responsible for recording the results of the final vote count in writing, which also allows for controlled historical documentation of the process.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.