Lead story
Editor's note:
For the past two weeks, it’s felt as though all eyes are on the Vatican, waiting for each day’s updates on Pope Francis’ health. Since Feb. 14 he’s been at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, being treated for double pneumonia and other conditions.
Francis’ hospitalization was even mentioned at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood, where Isabella Rossellini wished for his recovery. Her film, “Conclave,” took home the night’s award for best cast – and is unexpectedly timely.
Based on a novel, “Conclave” delves into what happens when one pope passes away and the next must be chosen. The word derives from the Latin words for “with key,” since cardinals are sequestered inside the Vatican as they vote.
But the process hasn’t always looked that way. Joelle Rollo-Koster, a historian at the University of Rhode Island who researches the medieval papacy, explains how centuries marked by chaos and looting led to the strict secrecy of today’s conclaves.
“Power is tantalizing,” she writes, “and electoral violence and manipulation are not new.”
Religion News
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Commentary and Analysis
Christian leaders need to be prophetic like Francis, John Paul and Jesus in calling us to see our brothers and sisters who need help. By Thomas Reese/Religion News Service
A scholar of global Catholicism writes how Francis has opened the church to the outside world in ways no pope had done before. By Mathew Schmalz for The Conversation
There may have been fear of gender-diverse people in the ancient world, but they played a crucial role. In Rome, they were viewed as vital to the city’s safety. By Tom Sapsford for The Conversation
Women’s work may not have been glamorous, but it was vital to the workings of the pope’s court and surrounding city. By Joelle Rollo-Koster for The Conversation
A young, novice monk holds up traditional instruments played by fellow monks during Gyalpo Losar, the Sherpa community's New Year celebration, at Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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