The first day of the papal conclave ended without a new pope, as black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 9:01pm local time—nearly three hours after the expected time—signaling that no cardinal had secured the required majority in the initial vote.The black smoke leaves
133 Cardinal Electors are locked in the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave that is voting for the next pope in utmost secrecy whose only results can be told by smoke signalThe new pope has to be chosen by the Catholic Church's most senior officials, known as the College of Cardinals.
BBC | Now predominantly Muslim, North Africa was once a Christian heartland, producing Catholic popes who left their mark on the Church to this day.Their papacies were in the era of the Roman Empire, which stretched across modern-day Tunisia, the north-east of Algeria and
BBC | Lashed by an off-season typhoon, Pope Francis stepped out on a rain-soaked makeshift stage in front of hundreds of thousands of weeping pilgrims in the central Philippines.Organisers had warned him to cancel the 2015 open air mass in Tacloban as the weather had worse
Pope Francis will appoint 21 new cardinals from around the world, he announced on Sunday, in an unexpected push to influence the powerful group of churchmen that will one day choose his successor. The ceremony to install the new appointees, known as a consistory, will be held on Dec. 8,
