Cardinals are meeting in a secret, sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to follow Pope Francis. The conclave opened at the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon but a first round of voting resulted in black smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel.
The vast number of sheep in New Zealand relative to the country’s scant human population has long been the subject of jokes aimed at New Zealanders abroad. It’s true: The country is one of a handful in the world that’s still home to more sheep than people.
Black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday, signalling that no pope had been elected as 133 cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.
With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday began centuries-old rituals to elect a successor to Pope Francis, celebrating a morning Mass before opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.
India fired missiles at Pakistan early Wednesday, in what it said was retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists. Pakistan called the strikes an act of war and claimed it downed several Indian fighter jets.
Cardinals wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings Tuesday, trying to identify a possible new pope who could follow Pope Francis and make the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church credible and relevant today, especially to young people.
While Pope Francis accomplished a lot in his 12-year papacy, he left much unfinished business and many challenges for his successor — from the Vatican’s disastrous finances to the wars raging on multiple continents and discontent among traditionalists about his crackdown on the old Latin Mass.
Prince Harry lost his appeal Friday challenging the U.K. government’s decision to strip him of his publicly funded security after he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the U.S.
King Charles III described Wednesday how a cancer diagnosis can be a “daunting and at times frightening” experience for sufferers and their loved ones as he hosted an event to laud the “extraordinary work” of cancer charities.
Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future.
