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Nuns walk at St. Peter's Square, ahead of the conclave, at the Vatican, on May 6, 2025.
HARD NUMBERS: Betting markets swirl as conclave commences, North Carolina judicial election nears end, Moscow shuts airport due to reported drone attack, US trade deficit sets new record, Trump campaign manager tries to Make Albania Great Again
26: The conclave of 133 cardinals will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the process of electing a new pope via secret ballot. To win the job with a puff of white smoke, a candidate must garner the support of two thirds of the conclave, plus one. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a veteran Vatican diplomat, is the favorite, per Polymarket, which gave him a 26% chance of winning.
182: Some 182 days on from the 2024 election, and North Carolina has still yet to certify state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs’ reelection victory. The Tar Heel State did move one step closer to affirming the result on Tuesday, though, after a federal judge narrowed the number of votes that were under dispute. Last November, Riggs, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin by 734 votes out of 5.5 million cast.
4: All four major airports in Moscow were ordered to shut after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on the Russian capital. There were no casualties in the reported attack, which came days before Russia holds a celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s triumph over Nazi Germany.
14%: The US trade deficit jumped 14% in March, setting a new record of $140.5 billion as American consumers and businesses rushed to buy foreign goods like pharmaceuticals and computer accessories ahead of President Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs in early April. Some economists believe US firms were still frontloading purchases well into April.
18,500: An estimated 18,500 Sudanese have crossed the country’s western border into Chad over the last two weeks alone, per the United Nations, with many severely malnourished. Nearly 800,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad since Sudan’s civil war began two years ago. For more on why one of the world’s deadliest conflicts continues, see here.
>$1 million: Chris LaCivita, who ran Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign last year, is reportedly earning more than $1 million to advise Albania’s former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. LaCivita is rehashing the MAGA message, only with “Albania” replacing “America.” Berisha, who faces corruption allegations, is hoping to lead the Balkan country again after the parliamentary elections on Sunday.Pope Francis greets crowds in Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Pope Francis, 88, dies hours after greeting Easter crowds
Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died Monday morning at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta at age 88.
The sad news, which was announced just before 10 a.m. local time, comes just one day after the pontiff – who had been recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia and a prolonged hospital stay – appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday and offered the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the “City [of Rome] and to the World,” with an aide reading the address. He then took to his popemobile and greeted crowds in St. Peter’s Square for the first time since his hospitalization – and now his final public appearance.
Known as the “people’s pope,” Francis’ papacy was defined by his longstanding commitment to social justice. It was the fruit of personal experience: Francis, the son of Italian immigrants, worked as a janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician, and literature teacher before pursuing the priesthood. His common touch and compassion for the less fortunate were hallmarks of his religious career and represented a departure from the more conservative style of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Bergoglio entered the Society of Jesus in 1958 and was ordained as a priest in 1969. Lauded for his work with the poorest parishes in Buenos Aires, he was named the city’s archbishop in 1998 before being elevated to cardinal in 2001. In March 2013, Bergoglio made history as the first Jesuit and first Latin American to ascend to the papacy, choosing the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of nature and the poor.
As pope, Francis maintained his humble approach, choosing not to wear the papacy’s traditional elaborate vestments. He transformed a Vatican plaza into a “palace for the poor” for the homeless, whom he called the “nobles of the street.” He worked to make the church more inclusive, awarding key roles to women and LGBTQ+ individuals, and even inviting transgender individuals to the Vatican. He championed sustainable development and the fight against climate change, publishing the 2015 encyclical “Laudato si',” which called on humanity to care for our “common home.”
Francis also advocated for the rights of migrants, proclaiming in 2024 that “turning away migrants is a grave sin.” In recent months, he has publicly rebuked US Vice President JD Vance’s characterization of “ordo amoris,” the Catholic Church’s “order of love,” as a justification for President Donald Trump’s deportation policies, but he notably met briefly with Vance on Sunday to share Easter greetings. Francis penned a letter to the bishops of America in which he said “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”
Francis’ stances also put him at odds with conservative elements inside the Church. One of his most controversial moves was reversing a decision by Benedict XVI that prioritized the Latin celebration of Mass. It highlighted a division brewing since the 1960s over whether Mass should be translated into local languages, which conservatives feared could dilute the Church’s traditional messaging. And while Francis appointed more cardinals from the Global South than any other pope, not all shared his progressive views: In 2023, a number of African bishops publicly criticized his blessings of individuals in LGBTQ+ unions.
In many ways, Francis was a pope of his time – and that time, like his life, has now ended, extinguishing a progressive light in the world. Vatican officials will now begin paying their final respects to the pope in the Santa Marta chapel, followed by the general public, before Francis is laid to rest and a conclave is held to elect his successor.
Joachim von Braun, president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, speaks at the “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children” event.
The Vatican wants to protect children from AI dangers
In a conference at the Vatican last week, Catholic leaders called for global action to protect children from the dangers of artificial intelligence.
“We are really currently in a war at two frontiers when it comes to protecting children — the old ugly child exploitation, one-on-one, is not overcome — and now we have the new AI, gender-based violence at scale and sophistication,” Joachim Von Braun, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, told the press on Thursday.
The conference, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, brought together Catholic officials as well as tech experts, world leaders, and child protection advocates. Attendees discussed AI’s protection to detect online threats and expand education but also risks for abuse such as deepfakes and algorithmic bias.
The Vatican under Pope Francis has been particularly interested in AI with the pontiff appointing an AI advisor in 2024, and it recently warned of “profound risks” of the technology in January.Pope Francis is seen here during Holy Week in April 2022.
Pope Francis is in critical condition
“I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” the Argentine pontiff posted on social media.
Ever since he was admitted to hospital on Feb. 14 with a complex respiratory tract infection, the 88-year-old religious leader's condition appears to have deteriorated. Roman Catholics from around the world prayed for his health on Sunday, with Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan admitting that the pope is “probably close to death.” Swiss Guards have reportedly started rehearsing funeral arrangements.
Building a legacy: Since taking charge in 2013, Francis has pushed the Catholic Church in a more progressive direction on some issues. He has, for example, encouraged his 1.3 billion disciples to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community, changed the church's stance on capital punishment to “inadmissible” in all instances, and urged countries to receive more migrants.
When the time comes, a papal conclave will choose Francis’ successor. There are currently 138 cardinals in the conclave who can vote, the vast majority of whom were selected by Francis himself, underscoring the legacy he will have on the future of the church.
Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window, at the Vatican, December 17, 2023.
Catholic priests can now bless same-sex couples, with a big caveat
The Vatican on Monday announced that Pope Francis has granted formal approval for Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples – but it must be clear that such blessings are not part of the ritual of marriage or in connection with a civil union.
The new guidance marks yet another departure from long-standing Vatican policy under Pope Francis, who has taken a number of steps to make the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion members more tolerant toward the LGBTQ community.
As he pushes for more progressive policies, Pope Francis has often clashed with the more conservative wing of the Catholic Church – particularly in the US. In August, the Pope ripped into what he described as the “backward” attitude of conservative American Catholics.
The Catholic Church is not the only Christian institution facing divisions over issues pertaining to the LGBTQ community. A quarter of the United Methodist Church’s congregations in the US – primarily conservative-learning churches – have left the denomination amid debates surrounding its LGBTQ policies. The massive exodus from the United Methodist Church comes as many more liberal congregations ignore the denomination’s official ban on same-sex marriage and on openly LGBTQ clergy.
Pope Benedict, who shocked the world by resigning, dies at 95
Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff to retire in six centuries, died early Saturday at the age of 95. Benedict surprised the world in 2013 by announcing he was stepping down from the papacy due to his advanced age. The first German pope in 1,000 years, Benedict took up the mantle of his close friend and predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and is credited with starting to reform Vatican finances and disciplining priests in Latin America who promoted Marxist ideology. Along the way, his strict adherence to church doctrine earned him the nickname “God’s Rottweiler.” Benedict’s papacy was plagued by global clerical sexual misconduct charges, and he charted a course for stricter discipline and defrocking of priests. But he’s also remembered for the 2012 “Vatileaks” controversy in which his brother leaked secret files revealing corruption and infighting at the Vatican. His reputation was further damaged by this year’s Munich diocese report, which alleged he mishandled sexual abuse allegations when he was an archbishop decades ago, prompting him to publicly apologize. Pope Benedict wasn’t always great at interfaith work. He managed to upset Muslims by suggesting Islam was inherently violent, and Jews by lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop. While leaving a mixed legacy, Benedict will perhaps be remembered most for making a daring choice to resign when he felt he could no longer fully serve the papacy.
Contempt charges dropped against three editors in ex-Vatican treasurer Pell conviction reporting trial
Prosecutor Lisa De Ferrari gave no reason for the sudden move, more than 18 months after the charges were first laid.
Cardinal Pell to return to Rome nearly six months after sex abuse aquittal
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Cardinal George Pell will return to Rome Tuesday (Sept 29) for the first time since being acquitted of child sexual abuse charges, and just days after a Vatican rival was ousted.