{"id":136502,"date":"2025-05-07T07:03:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T07:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/papal-conclave-live-updates-cardinals-meet-to-elect-pope-francis-successor-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T07:03:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T07:03:59","slug":"papal-conclave-live-updates-cardinals-meet-to-elect-pope-francis-successor-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/papal-conclave-live-updates-cardinals-meet-to-elect-pope-francis-successor-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Papal conclave live updates: Cardinals meet to elect Pope Francis' successor – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jean-Nicholas Fievet<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Astha Rajvanshi<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Today marks the beginning of the conclave, when 133 cardinals from across the world will gather to elect a new pontiff. Later this afternoon, they will cast their votes in the historic Sistine Chapel.
Here’s how the events will unfold:
Alexander Smith<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Reporting from Vatican City
VATICAN CITY \u2014 On the eve of\u00a0the conclave to elect the next pope<\/a>, the world\u2019s smallest country is engulfed in commotion.
Packs of pilgrims chant and sing as they carry large, wooden crosses on the uneven cobblestones\u00a0toward St. Peter\u2019s Basilica<\/a>. Street vendors and polo shirt-wearing tourists haggle over 1 euro fridge magnets bearing the face of\u00a0the late Pope Francis<\/a>. Espresso machines hiss, taxi drivers honk and crowds swell under intermittent clouds strafing\u00a0the Vatican<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 which this week feels like the center of the universe.
The real action will happen nearby under\u00a0a hush of near silence<\/a>\u00a0and total secrecy.
On Wednesday, 133 cardinal electors from all over the world will gather under the god-breathed frescos\u00a0of the Sistine Chapel<\/a>\u00a0for the most clandestine of ballots. Barred from leaving and with zero contact with the outside world, they must vote \u2014 and vote, and perhaps vote again \u2014 until they select the next leader of the world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Read <\/em><\/strong><\/a>the <\/em><\/strong><\/a>full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
Sam Gregg<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Max Butterworth<\/span><\/span><\/span>
VATICAN CITY \u2014 As world leaders took to their front row seats at the\u00a0funeral\u00a0<\/a>of\u00a0Pope Francis<\/a>\u00a0on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in and around the pillared walls of St. Peter\u2019s Square.
In a sunbaked Vatican City,\u00a0huge crowds of devoted faithful\u00a0<\/a>stood for hours in a section beyond the neat rows of cardinals, who remained seated in their colorful robes and hats.
The laying to rest of the late pope<\/a>\u00a0was just one crescendo in what will be a weekslong series of events between the death of one pontiff and the naming of another that last happened two decades ago. It has drawn masses of Catholics from across the world to pay their respects and\u00a0await the news of Francis\u2019 successor,<\/a>\u00a0giving the city-state a somber but friendly atmosphere.
Read <\/em><\/strong><\/a>the <\/em><\/strong><\/a>full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
Henry Austin<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Dust off the history books and there are papal conclaves with international intrigue, royal rigging and even riots, a checkered past that belies the air of sanctity and solemnity surrounding modern papal elections.
The word \u201cconclave\u201d comes from the Latin for \u201cwith key.\u201d It is a church tradition that began in 1268 with a papal election that lasted almost three years, ending only when the townspeople of Viterbo locked up the cardinals, tore the roof off their palace, fed them nothing but bread and water and threatened them until a new pope was chosen.
While it is very unlikely the decision on Pope Francis\u2019 successor will take quite as long or be quite as contentious, Vatican watchers agree that the winner is not a foregone conclusion.
NBC News takes a look at the figures believed to be the top contenders.
Read <\/em><\/strong><\/a>the <\/em><\/strong><\/a>full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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