Headline

All To Know Ahead Of Conclave To Elect New Pope

Published

5 months ago

April 29, 2025

Editor

Cardinals from around the world will meet under Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church after Pope Francis’s death.

Dating back to the Middle Ages — when the idea of sovereigns being elected was somewhat revolutionary — the gathering, known as a conclave, has an air of mystery about it, as all participants are sworn to secrecy for life.

Here is what we know about the process:

•⁠ ⁠Where and when –

On Monday May 5, two days before the conclave, officials and staff taking part in the conclave will gather at 5:30 pm (1530 GMT) to sign an oath of secrecy.

The day itself, Wednesday May 7, will begin with a special mass at 10:00 am in St Peter’s Basilica.

The conclave begins at 4:30 pm following a prayer in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel.

Cardinals will walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel before taking their oath of secrecy.

The conclave will last until a new pontiff is elected.

Cardinals wear different garments depending on whether they are from the Latin or Eastern churches.

Those in the Latin Church will don a “red robe with sash, rochet, mozzetta, pectoral cross with red and gold cord, ring, zucchetto (cap) and biretta”, while those in the Eastern Church wear their “own choir dress”, the Vatican said.

Each cardinal will wear an accreditation badge around his neck to help identify them as electors.

While it took almost three years to appoint Pope Gregory X in the 13th century — the longest conclave to date — modern gatherings are usually a matter of days.

Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, were elected after two days of voting.

•⁠ ⁠Who takes part –

Only 133 of the Church’s 252 cardinals are expected to take part in the conclave, as only those aged under 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope.

There are 135 eligible voters but the Vatican announced on Tuesday that two cardinals had dropped out for health reasons.

The archdiocese of Valencia in Spain confirmed to AFP that its archbishop emeritus, Cardinal Antonio Canizares was one of those who would not attend.

Most of those — around 80 percent — allowed to vote were appointed by Francis. They hail from all corners of the globe, with many from under-represented regions.

•⁠ ⁠Secrecy and security –

The word conclave comes from the Latin for “with key”, a reference to the lockdown imposed on cardinals during the conclave.

Their deliberations are held in the strictest secrecy on pain of instant excommunication. Smartphones and any internet access are off-limits and cardinals cannot read newspapers, listen to the radio or watch TV.

The cardinals stay in the Santa Marta residence at the Vatican until they elect a new pope.

Any contact with the outside world is permitted only for “grave and urgent reasons”, which need to be confirmed by a panel of four peers.

Only cardinal electors are allowed to be present during the actual voting, although others including doctors, clerical assistants and housekeeping staff are authorised to enter at different times.

•⁠ ⁠How voting unfolds –

Cardinals hold four ballots a day — two each in the morning and afternoon — until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes, currently 89 ballots.

At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a special stove. With the addition of chemicals, the stove’s chimney stack emits black smoke if no one has been elected, or white smoke if there is a new pope.

If no new pope is elected after three days, cardinals take a break and hold a day of prayer and talks.

Any single Catholic adult male can be elected pope, although in practice it is almost always one of the cardinals.

Sick cardinals are allowed to cast their ballots from their beds within the Vatican.

•⁠ ⁠What happens next –

The winning candidate is asked by the Dean of Cardinals if he accepts the pontificate and, if the answer is ‘yes’, what name he chooses as pontiff.

He then retreats to a room known as the Room of Tears to put on the papal garb — three sizes of which have been left there in advance.

The new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics then comes out onto a balcony overlooking the crowds in St Peter’s Square as a senior cardinal cries: “Habemus Papam” (We have a pope)!

AFP

Headline

Peru Anti-government Protesters Clash With Police

Published

17 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

Hundreds of anti-government protesters clashed with police in the Peruvian capital Lima on Saturday, throwing stones and sticks as officers fired tear gas on the demonstrators, AFP journalists reported.

The protest, organized by a youth collective called “Generation Z”, is part of growing social unrest in Peru against organized crime, corruption in public office, and a recent pension reform.

“Today, there is less democracy than before. It’s getting worse… because of fear, because of extortion,” said 54-year-old protester Gladys, who declined to give her last name.

Around 500 people gathered in the city center, under heavy police presence.

“Congress has no credibility, it doesn’t even have the approval of the people… It is wreaking havoc in this country,” said protester Celene Amasifuen.

The clashes broke out as demonstrators tried to approach executive and congressional buildings in Lima.

The radio station Exitosa said that its reporter and a cameraman were hit by pellets, commonly fired by law enforcement.

Police said at least three officers were wounded.

Approval ratings for President Dina Boluarte, whose term ends next year, have plummeted amid rising extortion and organized crime cases.

Several opinion polls show the government and conservative-majority Congress are seen by many as corrupt institutions.

This week, the legislature passed a law requiring young adults to join a private pension fund, despite many facing a precarious working environment.

AFP

Headline

Fresh World Trouble Looms As Netanyahu Tells Western Leaders ‘There Will Be No Palestinian State’

Published

17 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said there would be no Palestinian state, in a message addressed to the leaders of Britain, Australia and Canada after they recognised Palestinian statehood.

“I have a clear message for those leaders who recognise a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are granting a huge reward to terror,” he said.

“And I have another message for you: it will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River.”

Britain, Australia and Canada on Sunday became the first tripartite Western nations to recognise a Palestinian state.

Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X.

“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.

This comes after decades of requests for sovereignty from the Palestinian side.

Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the war in Gaza triggered almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Headline

Badenoch Slams UK’s Palestine Recognition Decision As ‘Absolutely Disastrous’

Published

18 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the Prime Minister Keir Starmer-led United Kingdom’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

PUNCH Online reports that Britain, alongside Australia and Canada, on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state in a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy.

Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York.

However, the decision triggered swift Israeli anger and condemnation from the opposition.

Reacting in a statement on her X on Sunday, Badenoch described the move as “absolutely disastrous.”

She argued the move rewards terrorism with no conditions, and the decision would be widely regretted.

She said, “Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.

“It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”

The Winchester opposition leader accused Labour of pandering to its “hard left” rather than fixing Britain’s pressing domestic problems.

“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left.”

Listing examples of Labour’s failings, she said, “They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. – They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16.

“They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead. And so on. This is the same man who paid £35bn of reparations to Mauritius along with the surrender of the Chagos islands.”

Badenoch also criticised what she described as the prime minister’s lack of judgment.

“Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister who has no plan for the country and no judgment.

“He will spend the next four years delivering the hobbyhorses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a HUGE mess for us to clean up.”

Earlier, Starmer announced the recognition of Palestine in a post on X, saying the move was intended to provide a two-state solution.

He said, “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.”