By Currents News:
Currents News is on the ground at the Vatican for the conclave.
Tune in as reporters Michelle Powers, Katie Vasquez, and Melissa Butz Corsi bring you exclusive coverage straight from the Eternal City.
The historic voting starts May 7, and the Currents News team will be in Rome all week long bringing you the latest.
By Currents News
The radio silence inside the Vatican goes beyond phone signals. Before the conclave begins, officials take an oath of secrecy.
Currents News’ Melissa Butz Corsi Currents News from the Eternal City to talk about this ancient practice.
Christine Persichette: We know the cardinals will take an oath of secrecy before the conclave begins May 7, but does anyone else have to take this vow?
Melissa Butz Corsi: Yes, in fact, all officials: staff, cooks, confessors, elevator operators, etc. had to take this oath of secrecy to ensure that if they hear anything while working, it does not get out to the public.
This happened May 5 evening at 5:30 p.m. in the Pauline Chapel.
Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell administered it to the laity and clergy assisting with the conclave.
CP: The oath is quite serious. What happens if someone breaks it?
MBC: It’s very serious. Before taking it, each staff member is informed of its importance and what it means for the church and the conclave.
Recording audio and video is forbidden by staff and if someone is caught, the penalty is excommunication by the Apostolic See.
CP: And is it the same oath the laity take, that the cardinals take?
MBC: The cardinals’ is just a tad different. The cardinals promise, if elected, to fulfill the role of pastor of the UniversalCatholic Church.
It comes from the apostolic constitution Pope John Paul II wrote in 1996, “Universi Dominici Gregis.”
Along with that, they cannot have any phones, internet, newspapers, TV or anything that could sway their vote during the conclave.
The same penalty goes for them: excommunication if they were to break the seal.
By Michelle Powers
He called it prioritizing the peripheries when Pope Francis chose cardinals from distant dioceses like Mongolia and South Sudan. They were countries that never had a “prince of the Church” or a papal pick.
“It’s important for all Catholics to be able to identify with the Holy Father,” Father Anthony Ligato, the assistant vice rector at the Pontifical North American College, told Currents News.
He says that Pope Francis’ choices have the potential to stir things up a bit. Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis appointed more than 80 percent of the red hats eligible to vote in this conclave.
RELATED: A Vision For a Globalized College of Cardinals
There are 53 from Europe, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, 16 from North America, 17 from South America, four from Central America, and four from Oceania.
This shift away from a European core has sparked talks of a non-European pope.
“The diversity of the cardinals is a reflection of the universality of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world and how we have been able to reach so many diverse people with that message of Jesus Christ,” Father Ligato said.
The diversity isn’t just geographic – it’s cultural. Cardinals from developing nations often bring perspectives shaped by poverty and persecution that differ from their counterparts.
Many people in St. Peter’s Square say they would love to see a pope that looked like them.
“I would feel proud having someone from Mexico to represent the Catholic Church here, would be amazing,” one pilgrim said.
The cardinals get to make the pick, but the faithful hope they pick a people’s pope.
A two-thirds majority is needed to be elected pope, meaning that if the number of electors holds at 133, the winner must secure 89 votes.
By Katie Vasquez
While it’s ultimately up to the cardinals to pick the next successor of St. Peter, their decision will affect Catholics around the globe.
Because of this, faithful in Rome are praying for a pope who will be a shepherd to his flock.
Pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square turn to God to give the cardinal electors guidance, many taking pictures in front of the Vatican – wondering who might appear in this window next.
“I’m very excited to elect a new pope. there’s a lot of good candidates,” one of them said.
The election of a new pope will determine the future of the Universal Church – and it’s the future those in St. Peter’s Square think about when they talk about what they want to see in the next pontiff.
“I like more traditional values, so I’m looking more for unity of the whole Church, just guidance in general for the future and for the future of the whole Church … try to get a lot more younger people involved.”
Some want a Holy Father that will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis.
“I hope for someone that is going to keep going as Pope Francis had. Hopefully there’ll be one elected very soon with lots of spirituality for the whole world, and hopefully will be in connection with all the young people,” one pilgrim said.
“A people’s pope, similar to Pope Francis, for him to understand what us Catholics and us people need. Because I believe the world needs it. We need it, the world needs this,” another said.
Others want the next successor of St. Peter to strike a different path.
“I’m hoping there will be a fresh change. Maybe this time, away from the usual norms, or maybe an Asian pope,” one man said.
But many are just looking for the right man to fill the role and lead the Universal Church.
“I don’t hope that the future pope will be Brazilian or South American,” one member of the faith explained. “I hope that it’s a person that is prepared to guide us.”
“Regardless, I hope someone who really is able to understand the needs of everyone,” another pilgrim said.
No matter their thoughts on the next pope, every pilgrim said they are excited to meet the new Holy Father for the first time in St. Peter’s Square.
By Currents News
Guided by God and the Holy Spirit, 133 men will be part of the next conclave.
They are sworn to secrecy, meaning the world won’t know who they pick until the white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel and the next successor of Saint Peter is introduced to the world.
Catholics around the world have been talking about some of the cardinals they think could be the next pope.
The top contender is Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Italian served as Secretary of State under Pope Francis and often filled in for the pontiff in diplomatic endeavors, such as meeting heads of state.
Cardinal Parolin has also overseen key Vatican efforts, such as the Holy See’s deal with China over bishop nominations, and the Vatican’s efforts to end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Another lead in the papal race is Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, who could become the first Asian pontiff.
Cardinal Tagle has previously served as the president of the Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis and was the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Vatican’s missionary department.
Another papal first would be Cardinal Peter Turkson, who could be the first Black pope.
The Ghanaian red hat served as the prefect of the Department for the Service of the Integral Human Development and is currently the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Cardinal Péter Erdő is also a name being mentioned. The Hungarian prelate was one of the initiators and co-presidents of the Catholic-Orthodox European Forum.
He has participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops since 2003 and has published 250 articles and 25 books on canon law, plus a number of cultural and spiritual works.
Another much-talked-about name is Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who serves as the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Pope Francis also chose Cardinal Zuppi to be his peace envoy for the war in Ukraine and the cardinal-priest of the Sant’Egidio Community, a worldwide movement of laypeople.
These are just some of the names being mentioned as possible picks for the next pope, but there are plenty of others that are being talked about in Catholic circles.
Ultimately, the next Holy Father can come from any of the 133 candidates; only the cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel know how they will vote.
By Currents News
With just two days until the start of the conclave, all the cardinals who will be picking the next pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican has announced.
The 133 red hats have already drawn lots for their room assignments. They will be accommodated at the Casa Santa Marta and the Old Santa Marta — and be able to travel to the Sistine Chapel as they wish along a protected route.
On Monday, 132 of the electors took part in a general congregation, where they touched on a wide variety of topics such as the missionary nature of the Church and the role of women in the Church. Among those electors, 10 come from the United States, two from the Tri-State area: New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Newark, New Jersey Cardinal Joseph Tobin.
The electors also include four American cardinals not currently in the United States: Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was the Archbishop of St. Louis but now is currently based in Rome; Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who formerly served in Texas but now is the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; Cardinal James Harvey, who is from Milwaukee but serves as the archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome; and Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, originally from Chicago but currently serving as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
Among the red hats active in the U.S., there is Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, and Cardinal Robert Walter McElroy of San Diego.
As the world awaits the next pope, the public is wondering which cardinal will soon sit in the chair of St. Peter.
Cardinals in Rome aren’t the only ones preparing for the conclave: the Sistine Chapel is undergoing modifications as May 7 approaches.
A final Mass was held at St. Peter’s Basilica in memory of Pope Francis, honoring his mission and lifelong service to the Church.
By Bill Miller and Currents News
ALBANY — The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with doctor-prescribed drugs, has new life, having passed the New York State Assembly with an 81-67 vote on April 29.
As of May 1, the bill, also called the MAID Act, was in the New York State Senate’s Health Committee. Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul has not publicly taken a position on the bill. She is an ardent supporter of abortion rights, while also pursuing suicide-prevention programs.
Opposition to the bill continues from New York’s episcopal leaders, including Bishop Robert Brennan, who on April 30 stated his disappointment that the MAID Act cleared the State Assembly. Each legislative session for the past decade has opened with the reintroduction of the act, which Bishop Brennan noted had never made it to a vote in either chamber until now.
“But you have to win every year,” Bishop Brennan said. “And at some point, it’s going to get the traction. And sure enough, in rapid fire, it passed.”
RELATED: New York Bishops Urge You To Say ‘No’ To Assisted Suicide
Bishop Brennan added he has heard the vote could be tight in the Senate.
“I don’t think it’s all that encouraging,” he said. “But I think we just have to try. People can be persuaded. I’ll be trying to reach out to the Senate, just like we’re asking everybody else to do.”
The bill, if approved, would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with doctor-prescribed medications, but with conditions.
For example, patients will have to:
RELATED: NY Lawmakers Are Backing Assisted Suicide Legislation Catholic Bishops Call ‘Dangerous’
Amy Paulin, a Democrat from Scarsdale, is the bill’s primary sponsor in the Assembly. A Brooklyn native, Paulin represents Assembly District 88, which covers a wide portion of Westchester County. She thanked supporters during a press conference shortly after the winning vote.
“When this bill first was presented to me I thought it was odd, a concept that they would only do in a place like Oregon,” Paulin said. “But my staff at the time convinced me that it was the right thing to do. It didn’t take that long for me to feel that in my gut.”
Paulin explained that her sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March of 2012. It went into remission but returned three years later, inflicting grave pain. She recalled that her sister shouted out repeatedly, demanding to know when death would end her suffering.
“The lasting memory I have of my sister is shouting in pain,” Paulin said. “So today, with this bill passing, I pass it in her memory.”
Still, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person.”
“This bill is a little bit of a misnomer in that it’s called ‘death with dignity,’ ” Bishop Brennan said. “It’s not dignity.”
The bishops, therefore, refer to points made by the New York State Catholic Conference. For example, the conference asserts:
“We’re dealing with the suicide crisis in this country, and certainly here in this state,” Bishop Brennan said. “One needs to ask, ‘What mixed messages am I sending?’ “
By Cindy Wooden and Currents News
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Sistine Chapel usually top the “must see” list of visitors to Rome and the Vatican.
But as 133 of the world’s cardinals prepared to enter the conclave May 7 to elect the new pope, the Sistine Chapel was closed to visitors April 28.
In preparation for the conclave, workers placed a protective covering over the marble mosaic floors and started carrying in pipes, couplers and sheets of subflooring.
The chapel is the highlight of most tours of the Vatican Museums and close to 7 million people visit each year, especially to see the ceiling Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512 and the massive wall fresco of the Last Judgment he painted between 1535 and 1541.
As documented by the Vatican Media video team beginning April 28, the din of tourists, constantly reminded that it is a chapel and they must whisper, was replaced with the sounds of hammering and sawing, the ping of metal couplings hitting metal couplings and the thud of the subfloor being laid.
The new floors and a few ramps, set on top of mini-scaffolding, will eliminate most steps and make the chapel more accessible for the cardinals, whose average age is over 70. Rows of tables and chairs will be added along the north and south walls so that the cardinals face each other. The tables closest to the walls will be raised slightly so that the cardinals in the back have a clear view.
In preparation for the conclave to elect a new pope, workers build platforms over a protective covering on the marble floor of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican May 2, 2025. The cardinals who enter the conclave May 7 will sit at tables facing the center with the tables in the back row raised slightly. (Photo: CNS/Vatican Media)
While photographers, and tourists with a keen eye, watched from St. Peter’s Square as Vatican firefighters installed a chimney on the chapel roof May 2, Vatican Media photographers documented what was happening inside.
Two stoves, connected by a copper pipe, were installed: one to burn ballots and the other to burn chemicals to create either dark black or bright white smoke to let the public know if a pope was elected or not.
RELATED: Past Conclaves Give Idea of When To Watch for Smoke From Sistine Chapel
Before the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, the ballots were burned with wet or dry straw, which produced the right color, but never really created enough smoke to offer a clear signal.
Maintaining secrecy is part of the cardinals’ oath, so technicians will sweep the chapel for electronic surveillance or recording devices before the conclave.
Before the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, then-Vatican spokesman, told reporters that jamming devices are used to disable cellphone signals, but that they are not installed under the false flooring as often is reported.
In 2003, two years before his death, St. John Paul II reflected on his experiences in the Sistine Chapel in a series of poems “Roman Triptych.”
He wrote about the two conclaves of 1978 – the first that elected Pope John Paul I and then the conclave that elected him.
“It is here, at the feet of this marvelous Sistine profusion of color that the Cardinals gather – a community responsible for the legacy of the keys of the Kingdom,” St. John Paul wrote. “They come right here. And once more Michelangelo wraps them in his vision.”
That vision, he wrote, begins with the “creating hand” of God giving life to Adam and ends with the Last Judgment. But it also includes Jesus telling St. Peter in Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
“It is necessary that during the Conclave, Michelangelo teach them,” the late pope wrote. “Do not forget: ‘Omnia nuda et aperta sunt ante oculos Eius’ (‘All things are laid bare and open before his eyes’). You who see all – point to him! He will point him out.”
As a restorer with the Vatican Museums touches up a wall fresco in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican May 2, 2025. (Photo: CNS/Vatican Media)
By Currents News
Attendees honored Franciscan values in Brooklyn at St. Francis College’s 2025 Charter Award Dinner.
The NYPD Jazz Band kicked things off at Giando on the Water in Williamsburg.
$250,000 was raised as the college paid tribute to the incredible legacy of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn and honored Frank Siller, founder of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Christine Persichette, anchor of Currents News, emceed the event.