The economic and pastoral priorities of the Church were at the heart of discussions during the seventh General Congregation of Cardinals held on Wednesday, April 30, in Vatican City.
The College of Cardinals, currently gathered in Rome for General Congregations ahead of the upcoming conclave, has issued a heartfelt appeal to all Catholics around the world to accompany them in prayer.
The Jubilee of Persons with Disabilities began with a solemn Mass celebrated by Archbishop Rino Fisichella at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, calling for greater inclusion and dignity for all people, especially those living with disabilities, on April 28.
The College of Cardinals gathered for their sixth General Congregation on April 29, Tuesday morning in the New Synod Hall, where 183 cardinals were present, including over 120 cardinal electors.
The conclave to elect the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church will commence on May 7th, 2025, following the Novemdiales Masses for the eternal repose of the late Pope Francis.
Despite a modified schedule following the death of Pope Francis, the Jubilee of Teenagers was held in Rome from April 25–27, 2025, drawing tens of thousands of young people from around the world.
On April 27, cardinals visited the tomb of Pope Francis and prayed at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, where he opted to be buried outside the Vatican's walls.
In a moving ceremony that gathered faithful from around the world, the Exequial Holy Mass for the late Pope Francis was celebrated this morning at the parvis of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica.
In a heartfelt departure from tradition, Pope Francis requested to be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, rather than the Vatican Grottoes where many of his predecessors lie, on April 26.
As of April 2025, Asia has become a major voice in the Catholic Church, contributing 37 cardinals to the College of Cardinals—23 of whom are electors, eligible to vote in a future papal conclave.
Cardinals gathered for their fourth General Congregation on April 25, Friday morning in the New Synod Hall, as the Church prepares to bid farewell to Pope Francis with the solemn funeral of “a shepherd, not a sovereign.”
In a historic and deeply symbolic decision, Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome following his funeral rites at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican is preparing to bid a final farewell to Pope Francis, whose funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 AM (GMT +2) in St. Peter’s Square.
Following the funeral rites of Pope Francis scheduled for Saturday, April 26, cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world will gather at the Vatican in the following days to participate in the conclave to elect the next pope.
Following the funeral of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has entered the ancient tradition of Novemdiales, a period of nine consecutive days of mourning.
The Holy See’s Office for Liturgical Celebrations has announced that the coffin of the late Pope Francis will be solemnly transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Vatican time.
The Vatican has officially announced that the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis will take place on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Vatican time (3:30 a.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Square.
With Pope Francis' passing on April 21, 2025, all cardinals are summoned to Rome, and the Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest religious institutions with up to 1.39 billion members, prepares for a conclave to elect his successor.
The canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is set to become the first millennial saint, has been deferred following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the first from Latin America, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m. in his residence at Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City.
In his Easter Sunday message, read by Cardinal Angelo Comastri at Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis called on the faithful to seek the living Christ beyond the tomb and to carry the message of hope and newness into every corner of daily life.
