Detail from St. Catherine of Siena from the circle of Baldassare Francheschini (17th century). / Credit: Baldassare Franceschini, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On the feast of St. Catherine of Siena in 2021, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the “great female figure of faith” would continue to inspire a more joyful and fervent witness.

“The Holy Father hopes that, especially in the context of the 560th anniversary of the canonization of the Sienese saint, the example of such a generous disciple of Christ will foster in all an ever more joyful and fervent witness to faith and charity to promote the civilization of love,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote in a telegram on behalf of the pope, published April 29, 2021.

The Vatican secretary of state sent the telegram to Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, the archbishop of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino, expressing the pope’s good wishes to Catholics in the archdiocese during their three-day celebration of their hometown saint.

St. Catherine of Siena is a doctor of the Church and co-patron of Europe. She played a pivotal role in ending the Avignon exile of the successors of Peter in the 14th century.

Born in Siena in 1347 on the feast of the Annunciation, she exhibited an unusually independent character as a child and an exceptionally intense prayer life.

When she was 7 years old, she had the first of her mystical visions in which she saw Jesus surrounded by saints and seated in glory. In the same year, she vowed to consecrate her virginity to Christ.

When, at the age of 16, her parents decided that she should marry, she cut off her hair to make herself less appealing, and her father, realizing that he couldn’t contend with her resolve, let her have her way.

She joined the Dominican tertiaries and lived a deep and solitary life of prayer and meditation for the next three years in which she had constant mystical experiences, capped by the end of the three years with an extraordinary union with God granted to only a few mystics, known as “mystical marriage.”

St. Catherine suffered many periods of desolation alongside her mystical ecstasies, often feeling totally abandoned by God. She also tended to the sick, poor, and marginalized, especially lepers.

Her “Dialogue,” a spiritual classic, records her visions, which she dictated in a state of mystical ecstasy.

God called her to a more public life while she was still in her 20s, and she corresponded with many influential figures, advising, admonishing, and exhorting them to holiness, including the pope himself, whom she also rebuked when she saw fit.

She helped achieve peace when the Holy See and Florence were at war. While on her deathbed, she made possible the healing of the great schism between the followers of the legitimate pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed him.

She died in Rome on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33, and the stigmata appeared on her incorrupt body after her death. She was canonized by Pope Pius II on June 29, 1461.

She once said: “If you are what you should be, you will set the world ablaze.”

This story was first published on April 29, 2021, and has been updated.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, preaches the homily during the third day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 28, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 28, 2025 / 19:06 pm (CNA).

Editor’s Note: On April 28, 2025, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, delivered the following homily during the third day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis. The text below is a CNA working translation of the Italian original published by the Vatican.

My frail voice is here today to express the prayer and sorrow of a portion of the Church — that of Rome — bearing the weight of the responsibility history has assigned to her.

In these days, Rome is a people mourning its bishop — a people, together with other peoples, who have lined up, finding a space among the city’s places to weep and pray, like “sheep without a shepherd.”

Sheep without a shepherd: a metaphor that helps us gather the feelings of these days and enter into the depth of the image we have received from the Gospel of John — the grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit. A parable that tells of the shepherd’s love for his flock.

In this time, while the world is burning and few have the courage to proclaim the Gospel and translate it into a concrete and possible vision of the future, humanity appears like sheep without a shepherd. This image leaves the mouth of Jesus as he gazes upon the crowds following him.

Around him are the apostles, reporting all they had done and taught: the words, gestures, and actions learned from the Master — the proclamation of the coming kingdom of God, the call to conversion, and the signs that gave flesh to the words — a caress, an outstretched hand, disarmed speech, without judgment, liberating, unafraid of contact with impurity. In performing this service, necessary to awaken faith and hope — that evil would not have the last word, that life is stronger than death — they did not even have time to eat.

Jesus senses the weight of this — and that comforts us now.

Jesus, the true shepherd of history in need of salvation, knows the burden placed on each of us in continuing his mission, especially as we find ourselves searching for his first shepherd on earth.

As in the time of the first disciples, there are successes and also failures, fatigue, and fear. The horizon is immense, and temptations creep in that veil the one thing that matters: to desire, seek, and labor in anticipation of “a new heaven and a new earth.”

This cannot be the time for balancing acts, tactics, caution, instincts to turn back, or, worse, revenge and power alliances, but rather we need a radical disposition to enter into God’s dream entrusted to our poor hands.

At this moment, I am struck by what Revelation says: “I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

A new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem.

Faced with the announcement of this newness, we cannot yield to that mental and spiritual laziness that ties us to past experiences of God and ecclesial practices, desiring they repeat endlessly, subdued by the fear of the losses required by necessary change.

I think of the multiple reform processes of Church life initiated by Pope Francis, which extend beyond religious affiliations. People recognized him as a universal pastor. These people carry concern in their hearts, and I seem to discern in them a question: What will become of the processes that have begun?

Our duty must be to discern and order what has begun, in light of what our mission demands of us, moving toward a new heaven and a new earth, adorning the Bride (the Church) for the Bridegroom.

Otherwise, we risk clothing the Bride according to worldly fashions, guided by ideological claims that tear the unity of Christ’s garment.

To seek a shepherd today means above all to seek a guide who knows how to manage the fear of loss in the face of the demands of the Gospel.

To seek a shepherd who bears the gaze of Jesus — the epiphany of God’s humanity in a world marked by inhumanity.

To seek a shepherd who confirms that we must walk together, integrating ministries and charisms: We are the people of God, constituted to proclaim the Gospel.

When Jesus sees the people following him, he feels compassion stir within him: He sees women, men, children, the elderly, the sick, the poor — and no one caring for them, no one feeding their hunger — the hunger of life turned harsh, and the hunger for the Word. Before these people, he feels himself to be their bread that will not fail, their water that quenches thirst endlessly, the balm that heals wounds.

He feels the same compassion Moses felt when, at the end of his days, from the heights of Mount Abarim, facing the Promised Land he would not enter, gazed upon the multitude he had guided and prayed to the Lord lest they become a flock without a shepherd.

That prayer is now our prayer — the prayer of the whole Church and of all men and women who ask to be guided and supported amid the struggles of life, among doubts and contradictions, orphans of a word that can guide them amid siren songs flattering instincts of self-redemption, that break solitude, gather the discarded, refuse to yield to tyranny, and dare not to bend the Gospel to tragic compromises of fear, worldly complicities, or blind, deaf alliances against the signs of the Holy Spirit.

The compassion of Jesus is the compassion of the prophets who reveal God’s suffering at seeing his people scattered and abused by bad shepherds — mercenaries who exploit the flock and flee at the sight of the wolf. Bad shepherds care nothing for the sheep, abandoning them to danger — and thus they are snatched and scattered.

But the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

This radical disposition of the shepherd is narrated in the Gospel of John proclaimed in this Eucharistic liturgy — a testimony of how Jesus could see beyond death, to the hour that would glorify his mission: the hour of death on the cross, revealing unconditional love for all.

“If the grain of wheat that falls to the ground does not die, it remains just a grain of wheat.” The grain that sought the earth through the incarnation of the Word, falling to raise those who had fallen, coming to seek the lost.

His death is a sowing that leaves us suspended in that hour, when the seed is no longer visible, hidden by the earth that causes us to fear it has been lost. A suspension that could anguish us but instead can become the threshold of hope, a fissure in doubt, a light in the night, a garden of Easter.

The promised fruitfulness belongs to this disposition to death: to become wheat ground down, hostage to infidelity and ingratitude — to which Jesus, the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, responds with forgiveness, praying to the Father while abandoned by his friends.

The good shepherd sows through his death, forgiving his enemies, preferring their salvation — the salvation of all — over his own.

If we want to be faithful to the Lord, to the grain of wheat fallen to the earth, we must sow our lives as well.

And how can we not recall the psalm: “Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy”?

There are times, like ours, when, as the farmer to whom the psalmist refers, sowing becomes an extreme gesture, driven by the radicality of faith.

It is a time of famine — the seed thrown to the earth is drawn from the last reserve without which one dies. The farmer weeps because he knows that this final act demands risking his life.

But God does not abandon his people. He does not forsake his shepherds. He will not allow, just as with his Son, that they be left in the tomb of the earth.

Our faith safeguards the promise of a joyful harvest — but it must pass through the death of the seed that is our life.

That extreme, total, exhausting gesture of the sower made me think of Pope Francis’ Easter Sunday, of that outpouring of blessings and embraces to his people, the day before he died. The final act of his tireless sowing of the announcement of God’s mercies. Thank you, Pope Francis.

Mary, the holy Virgin whom we in Rome venerate as “Salus populi romani,” who now stands beside and watches over his mortal remains, receive his soul and protect us as we continue his mission. Amen.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina celebrates Mass on Day 3 of the Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis on April 28, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 28, 2025 / 18:42 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Baldassare Reina urged the faithful to “discern and order” the late pontiff’s reform initiatives while acknowledging the sense of loss felt by Rome’s Catholics in his homily on the third day of “Novendiales” Masses for Pope Francis.

Speaking at St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, April 28, the 54-year-old vicar general for the Diocese of Rome described how the faithful feel like “sheep without a shepherd” following the pontiff’s death.

“I think of the multiple reform processes of Church life initiated by Pope Francis, which extend beyond religious affiliations. People recognized him as a universal pastor,” Reina said. “These people carry concern in their hearts, and I seem to discern in them a question: What will become of the processes that have begun?”

The Italian cardinal, who will vote in the conclave scheduled to begin May 7, said that true fidelity requires continuing the path set by Pope Francis rather than retreating from it.

“Our duty must be to discern and order what has begun, in light of what our mission demands of us, moving toward a new heaven and a new earth, adorning the Bride (the Church) for the Bridegroom,” he stated.

Drawing on the Gospel of John, Reina reflected on the parable of the grain of wheat that must die to bear fruit, comparing it to Christians becoming “seeds” willing to be spent for new life. He warned against responding to current challenges with fear or worldly compromise.

“This cannot be the time for balancing acts, tactics, caution, instincts to turn back, or, worse, revenge and power alliances, but rather we need a radical disposition to enter into God’s dream entrusted to our poor hands,” the cardinal emphasized.

He concluded his homily with a tribute to Pope Francis, comparing the pontiff’s final Easter Sunday appearance to the radical act of sowing described in Scripture: “That extreme, total, exhausting gesture of the sower made me think of Pope Francis’ Easter Sunday, of that outpouring of blessings and embraces to his people, the day before he died. The final act of his tireless sowing of the announcement of God’s mercies. Thank you, Pope Francis.”

In closing, the cardinal invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary, venerated in Rome as “Salus Populi Romani,” to accompany and protect the Church.

In July 2022, Imán Nader and her family were able to greet Pope Francis after the general audience. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 17:28 pm (CNA).

“Pope Francis was a courageous man. He always sought peace. He looked at everyone with the same eyes, whether you were Black or white, and he didn’t care about your religion or what was written in your passport. He wanted to help everyone,” said Imán Nader, still quite moved by the experience of witnessing from the front rows of St. Peter’s Square the funeral of the man who changed her life.

In addition to the more than 140 international delegations who participated in the solemn celebration of Pope Francis’ funeral Mass, a group of homeless people and several immigrant families also sat in the front rows. In total, there were 40 people seated there who had experienced Pope Francis’ tenderness firsthand during his 12-year pontificate. 

Among them was the 31-year-old Kurdish woman, along with her four children and husband, who had to flee Iraq in the face of the Islamic State’s furious violence and the lack of basic services and opportunities for the future.

But her attempt to reach Europe left her stuck on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where she and her family were stranded in a refugee camp for more than two years. Then she met the pope during his apostolic journey to the country in 2021.

“He saved us,” Nader told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, after having experienced the terrible living conditions they endured in the refugee camp, without adequate drinking water or food, and living in a tent with a plastic roof that barely protected them from the rain.

“I have always trusted and loved God. I prayed a lot to have a better life than this, and God responded by sending me Pope Francis, who has been our angel,” she related.

In fact, their meeting was completely fortuitous. Or rather, it came out of the blue. They learned through the media that Pope Francis was traveling to Cyprus, and the family, who is Muslim, wanted to see up close that man dressed in white who spoke so much of peace and brotherhood.

Thus on Dec. 3, 2021, they were able to go to Holy Cross Church in Nicosia. Nader sat — covered with her usual hijab — in the back pew, not wanting to attract too much attention. But the pontiff noticed her immediately and as he left, he gave her a firm handshake and gave her his best smile.

What Nader didn’t know at the time was that that moment would change her life and that of her family forever. Near her was Silvina Pérez, editor of the Spanish edition of L’Osservatore Romano. They exchanged phone numbers and kept in contact with each other for several weeks. Until one day, Nader got up her courage and asked her for the impossible: to escape that hellish refugee camp.

The journalist began pulling strings to try to change the family’s fate and include them on the list of those selected to be part of the humanitarian corridors coordinated by the Sant’Egidio Community.

But it was quite complicated, so she called Pope Francis directly, who didn’t hesitate for a second to mediate on behalf of Nader’s family and cover all travel expenses.

“When they told us we would be leaving that horrible place, I couldn’t believe it. It was a tremendous gift from Pope Francis. Today, we all mourn the death of Pope Francis. For me, he was the best religious leader I have ever seen,” Nader said filled with emotion.

Nader and her family arrived in Rome in March 2022. During this time, they learned Italian, their children attend public school, and both parents work in the restaurant industry. 

Over these three years, they met Pope Francis several times. In July 2022, they were able to greet Pope Francis after the general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican thanks to the mediation of Spanish journalist Eva Fernández, who helped them write a message in Spanish that summarized their gratitude: “Thank you for bringing us to Italy! My children now have a better life than in Iraq and Cyprus. Thank you for allowing us to be your neighbors!”

The most recent time they met the pope was on Feb. 5, shortly before Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he underwent treatment for double pneumonia. “On that occasion, he confessed to me that he was very ill and that he felt tired, but I never imagined that would be the last time I would see him,” Nader shared.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

From left to right: Cardinal Robert Sarah, Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, Cardinal Joseph Coutts, and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA; Romanuspontifex, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot participate in a conclave. Out of the 134 cardinals under 80 taking part in the upcoming 2025 conclave, 15 are 79 years old — some making it under the cutoff just weeks before their 80th birthday.

One of them, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Spain, opted out due to health reasons, leaving 134 electors from the original 135 eligible cardinals.

The age limit for electors was introduced by Pope Paul VI in the 1970s and was confirmed by Pope John Paul II’s 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.

The five oldest cardinals eligible to vote come from Spain, Guinea, Poland, Pakistan, and England. Here’s a look at the oldest members of the 2025 conclave:

Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, Spain — born May 16, 1945 

A retired archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Osoro Sierra is known for his pastoral approach and commitment to Catholic education. After a career that included serving as archbishop of Valencia and Oviedo, he was appointed to lead the Madrid Archdiocese by Pope Francis in 2014 and made a cardinal two years later. His episcopal motto is “Per Christum et cum ipso et in ipso,” meaning:“Through him and with him and in him.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah, Guinea — born June 15, 1945 

Known for his theological orthodoxy and literary works, Cardinal Robert Sarah has served in the Roman Curia under three popes. Appointed archbishop at just 34, Sarah later held leadership positions in important Vatican departments: secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

A prolific author and a strong advocate of traditional liturgy, Sarah is considered by some a potential candidate to become the first African pope in centuries. He previously took part in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. He speaks French, Italian, and English fluently.

Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, Poland — born July 4, 1945

A veteran of the Roman Curia, Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko is a former president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and was a close collaborator of Pope John Paul II. Ordained in 1969 by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla before he became pope, Ryłko went on to serve in the Vatican for decades, quietly shaping lay Catholic initiatives.

Elevated to cardinal in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI, he also participated in the 2013 conclave. Besides his native Polish, he speaks Italian, English, and German.

Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Pakistan — born July 21, 1945 

A pioneering figure in the Pakistani Church, Cardinal Joseph Coutts served as archbishop of Karachi and became only the second cardinal from his predominantly Muslim homeland. Known for his commitment to interfaith dialogue, he was present at the historic 2019 signing of the human fraternity document by Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi.

Coutts’ life and ministry have been marked by efforts to promote peace and religious tolerance in a challenging context. Coutts speaks several languages including English, Italian, German, French, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, England — born Aug. 22, 1945

Former master of the Dominican order, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is known as a preacher and retreat leader. He taught Scripture and doctrine at Oxford University before leading the Order of Preachers for more than a decade. Radcliffe was recently called upon by Pope Francis to guide participants of the Synod on Synodality through retreats and spiritual meditations. His episcopal motto is “Vos Autem Dixi Amicos,” meaning: “I have called you friends” from John 15:15.

Daniel Ibañez embraces Pope Francis. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).

Imagine that your cellphone rings and the display says the call is from a “private number.” You expect it to be a telemarketer, but instead when you answer, you hear a man with an Argentine accent say: “This is Francis. I received your letter.”

That phone call happened to Daniel Ibañez, CNA and EWTN News Vatican photographer, on an ordinary weekday morning in December 2018.

“I effectively stayed frozen, because I was speaking with the pope,” Ibañez told CNA. “He said: ‘I would like to invite you to the Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Dec. 20, 2018, which will be the last I publicly celebrate in the Vatican [before Christmas].’”

Ibañez had sent a letter to Pope Francis two months prior, in October 2018, telling him about his experience as a young Catholic from Palencia, Spain, living and working in Italy as a photographer for a Catholic media organization.

He had also expressed his desire for the opportunity to experience Pope Francis as an ordinary Catholic, since Ibañez is always working — that is, taking photos — during papal Masses and events.

Ibañez, 27 at the time, said he was touched and surprised that during their phone call, which lasted about five minutes, Pope Francis asked his pardon for not responding to his letter sooner.

The pope also gave him the directions for what to do in two days to attend the private Mass at the Vatican’s guesthouse.

“He repeated what I should do four times, like a grandfather. Because I was not understanding. My brain was really frozen... I was speaking with the pope on my cellphone!” Ibañez said.

On Dec. 20, 2018, the photographer went through all the security to arrive at the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. He said at first he sat at the very back, but the priests made him move to the front: “From a photographic perspective, the best seat.”

Ibañez said he remembers one part of Pope Francis’ homily that day in particular: “God enters history and does so in his original style: a surprise. The God of surprises, surprises us.”

After the Mass, the pope greeted each person individually. Ibañez introduced himself as a photographer for CNA and EWTN and gave him two photos he had taken of him.

He also gave the pope some letters from his friends and family — including one from a young woman who wrote about her elderly uncle, a retired priest in Spain. Pope Francis called this priest a few months later, speaking to him for about an hour.

Ibañez also told the pope about his friend, a wife and mother who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a few days prior. Francis put his hand over the woman’s photo, staying in silence for some seconds. In that moment, “I felt that he is a very empathetic person, who listens,” he said.

Then, before the pope left, Ibañez asked if he could give him a hug, and the two embraced.

Ibañez is the youngest fully Vatican-accredited photographer and the only one from Spain. He explained that he originally came to Rome to study, but he finds the words of St. Josemaría Escrivá relatable, that one should “dream and your dreams will fall short.” He only expected to be in Rome for six months and instead has now been there for over 11 years.

“This work is beautiful, even if it is a little tiring. But I am a Catholic and above all it is an honor to do this work,” he stated.

“It is true that the negative part is that [Pope Francis] is a person who never gets tired. So, if you follow the pope, the agenda of the pope is very complicated, very complex too. That is, to work on Sundays and holidays.”

Ibañez continues to document life at the Vatican and papal events, and recently captured the many historic moments of the Church’s farewell to Pope Francis, including the funeral and burial.

This story was originally published on Dec. 10, 2019, and has been updated.

Cardinals gather for the fifth general congregation on April 28, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Apr 28, 2025 / 11:39 am (CNA).

Ahead of the May 7 conclave, evangelization challenges, interfaith relations, and confronting the ongoing abuse crisis topped the agenda when more than 180 cardinals gathered Monday for their fifth general congregation since Pope Francis’ death.

During the meeting, approximately 20 cardinals delivered addresses on “themes of particular relevance for the future of the Church,” according to the Holy See Press Office on Monday.

Meanwhile, preparations for the coming conclave commenced at the Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals’ congregation began at 9 a.m. with prayer and saw substantive discussions on the Church’s relationship with the contemporary world and reflections on the qualities the next pontiff would need to respond effectively to these challenges.

According to the Holy See, over 100 cardinal electors participated and renewed their oath of secrecy prescribed by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis as the May 7 conclave date approaches.

The cardinals also renewed the composition of the particular congregation assisting Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who oversees Vatican affairs during the sede vacante period. Cardinal Reinhard Marx was confirmed in his role as coordinator of the Council for Economy, while Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle and Dominique Mamberti were selected by lot to complete the three-member panel.

Monday’s congregation concluded at 12:25 p.m. Meanwhile, Vatican staff began preparing the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s masterpieces will once again witness the selection of a successor to St. Peter.

In the meantime, the daily general congregations will continue each morning at 9 a.m., except for Thursday, May 1, and Sunday, May 4, unless the cardinals decide otherwise.

From left to right: Cardinal Francis Leo, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Cardinal Mykola Bychok, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, and Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 11:09 am (CNA).

At the upcoming papal conclave, set to begin May 7, the College of Cardinals will include several notably young members who have traveled to Rome from across the world, from Mongolia to Australia. 

Among the 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in a conclave, 15 of them are under the age of 60. 

Historically, the age of cardinals participating in papal conclaves has varied. One of the youngest was Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza, who attended the 1565–1566 conclave at the age of 25.

In more recent times, during the 2013 conclave, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was the youngest cardinal elector at 53. In the upcoming conclave, there are six cardinals the same age or younger. 

The five youngest cardinals lead sees in Australia, Mongolia, Portugal, and Canada as well as a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Two of them are Eastern-rite Catholics. Three were made cardinals in the last consistory before the conclave. 

Here are the five youngest cardinals who will help select the next pope:  

Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45 

Born on Feb. 13, 1980, in Ternopil, Ukraine, Bychok felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 15. He joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) in 1997, inspired by their missionary zeal. His service has been extensive, including roles as a missionary in Russia, parish priest, and provincial bursar in Ukraine as well as vicar of the Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, New Jersey.

In January 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as the eparchial bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, Australia. His episcopal consecration took place on June 7, 2020. Bychok has worked to foster community among the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia and to increase youth engagement within the Church.

On Dec. 7, 2024, Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, making him the current world’s youngest cardinal.

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, 50 

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, born on June 7, 1974, in Cuneo, Italy, has been a Consolata missionary in Mongolia since 2003. He was ordained a priest in 2001 and appointed apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar in 2020.

Pope Francis created him a cardinal on Aug. 27, 2022, making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at the time at age 48. He welcomed Pope Francis to Mongolia in 2023 as the first pope to ever visit the country. Marengo is fluent in Mongolian, Italian, and English. 

Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, 51 

Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, born on Dec. 12, 1973, is the bishop of Setúbal, Portugal. Before entering the priesthood, Aguiar had a brief political career, serving as a town councilor under the Socialist Party. He was ordained a priest at the age of 27 in 2001 and went on to serve in roles such as vicar general and communication director for the Diocese of Porto. He became the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon in 2019 and gained recognition for his leadership in organizing the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, which drew over 1.5 million attendees.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in late 2023. 

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, 51 

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, born on Aug. 11, 1973, in Kerala, India, is a Vatican diplomat and Syro-Malabar archbishop. His diplomatic career included assignments in various countries, including Algeria, South Korea, Iran, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. In July 2020, Koovakad returned to Rome to work as an official in the Secretariat of State. He was responsible for organizing Pope Francis’ international travels from 2021 to 2024.

The pope elevated Koovakad to cardinal on Dec. 7, 2024, and appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in January. 

Cardinal Francis Leo, 53 

Cardinal Francis “Frank” Leo, born on June 30, 1971, in Montreal to Italian immigrant parents, is the current archbishop of Toronto. He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Montreal in 1996. Leo holds a doctorate in systematic theology with a specialization in Mariology from the University of Dayton. He served as the general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2015 to 2021 and was appointed archbishop of Toronto in 2023, an archdiocese with a population of about 2 million Catholics.

Pope Francis made Leo a cardinal in December 2024. 

Statue of St. Peter on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 28, 2025 / 07:13 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals announced Monday that the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

The pivotal proclamation came following a morning general congregation meeting at the Vatican, where cardinals have been gathering daily since Pope Francis’ burial at St. Mary Major Basilica on April 26.

The date falls within the traditional 15- to 20-day window following a pope’s death, allowing sufficient time for the “Novendiales” mourning period and for cardinal electors to arrive from across the globe.

Of the 134 cardinals who will take part — those under 80 years of age — nearly all have already arrived in Rome. The remaining few are expected within days, according to Vatican sources.

The voting will take place beneath Michelangelo’s magnificent frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

Following tradition, the cardinals will celebrate a “Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff” in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of May 7 before processing into the Sistine Chapel while chanting the “Veni Creator Spiritus,” invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Once inside, each cardinal will take an oath to observe the procedures, maintain secrecy, and vote freely for the candidate he believes most worthy. The chapel doors will then be closed to the outside world until a new pope is chosen.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, is the current dean of the College of Cardinals, i.e., the most senior member, elected from among the ranks of the cardinal bishops and confirmed by the pope. Normally, it would be Re’s job to move the conclave process forward once it gets underway. 

Re is too old to take part in the conclave, however, as is his vice dean, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri. So the upcoming conclave will be directed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the next eligible most senior cardinal bishop and the Vatican’s secretary of state.

A two-thirds majority — 90 votes — is required to elect the new pope.

The world will watch for the traditional signals from the Sistine Chapel chimney: black smoke indicating an inconclusive ballot, white smoke announcing that a new pope has been elected.

Pope Francis was responsible for appointing 108 of the cardinal electors who will now choose his successor, dramatically reshaping the geographic makeup of the College of Cardinals during his pontificate. The college now includes representatives from countries with small Catholic populations and from regions previously underrepresented in papal elections.

The statue of St. Peter at the square named for him in the Vatican. / Credit: Stephen Driscoll/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The recent death of Pope Francis on April 21 has reignited interest in the centuries-old “Prophecy of the Popes,” also known as the St. Malachy prophecy, which some say indicates that Pope Francis was the last pope the Church will ever have.

The over-900-year-old prophecy, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, purports to describe every single pope from the year 1143 until the end of time — and Pope Francis appears, at least at a glance, to be the last pope described in the prophecy, suggesting the world will end now that his papacy has concluded.

A closer look shows that there is some significant evidence against the authenticity of this alleged prophecy. Here’s what you need to know.

What is the ‘Prophecy of the Popes’?

The document in question was allegedly a private revelation given to the medieval figure St. Malachy, who served as archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, in the 1100s. Reportedly, he made a visit to Rome in which he had a vision of the future popes and wrote them down.

The prophecy consists of a list of 112 short phrases; enigmatic “mottoes” in Latin that are supposed to represent the popes from St. Malachy’s time onward. 

The mottoes generally contain references to one of several things, including the pope’s name (his papal name, his birth name, or his family name), his place of origin, or a heraldic crest connected with him (his papal arms, his family crest, or the crest of his order or place of origin). They often involve wordplay regarding these things, though that is more obvious in Latin than in English.

The mottoes are believed by some to predict the succession of Catholic popes, concluding with a final pope referred to as “Peter the Roman.”

The next-to-last motto in the prophecy of the popes has been associated with Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy in 2013 and died at the end of 2022. The election of Pope Francis as his successor brings us to the last name in the prophecy of the popes, which many have taken to indicate the final pope at the end of the world.

This passage reads as follows:

“Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The end.”

Is it genuine?

This prophecy is not a Vatican-approved private revelation, though it has been influential in some Catholic circles for several hundred years. There is evidence to doubt its authenticity, however.

First, the prophecy was not published until 1595, though St. Malachy died in 1148. There is no record of the prophecy existing in the intervening 447 years. Allegedly, this was because the prophecy lay forgotten in a Roman archive, and it was not rediscovered until 1590.

While the fact that there is no mention of the document in the hundreds of years between the times of its reported composition and its rediscovery does not prove that it is false, it does cast significant doubt on its authenticity.

It has been proposed that the document, rather than being an authentic revelation, is a forgery composed around 1590 and then planted in the archive for political purposes — a claim that would explain the document’s lengthy absence.

Do its contents hold true?

The logical approach is to examine the prophecy’s contents to see which theory of its origins they are more consistent with: Do the contents seem to suggest that it was written in the 1100s, or do they suggest that it was written around 1590?

Many observers have thought the latter. One reason is that the “mottoes” for the period prior to 1590 are very easy to connect with the popes they allegedly represent. By contrast, the mottoes assigned to the popes coming after 1590 are much harder to connect with the popes they allegedly represent and often can be connected only in a contrived way.

Some examples of mottoes that are easy to connect to pre-1590 popes include:

• “Ex castro Tiberis” (“From a castle on the Tiber”). This is connected with Celestine II (1143–1144), who was born in Citta di Castello (“City of the Castle”), which is on the banks of the Tiber river.

• “Frigidus abbas” (“Cold Abbot”). This is connected with Benedict XII (1334–1342), who had been the abbot of a monastery at Fontfroide (“Cold Spring”).

• “De parvo homine” (“From a small man”). This is connected to Pius III (1503), whose family name was Piccolomini, which is derived from piccolo (small) and uomo (man).  

By contrast, some examples of post-1590 popes include:

• “Pia civitas in bello” (“Pious city in war”). This is connected with Innocent IV (1591), but there is no good way to link him with this motto. Some have pointed to the fact that he was patriarch of Jerusalem before his election to the papacy, and Jerusalem could be thought of as a “pious city,” but so could Rome and many others. Almost any Christian city would count, and Jerusalem was not a Christian city at this time. Furthermore, Jerusalem was not at war when he was patriarch.

• “Aquila rapax” (“Rapacious eagle”). This is connected with Pius VII (1800–1823), but there is no good way to link him with this motto. Some have proposed that his reign overlapped with that of Napoleon and that Napoleon could be described as a rapacious eagle (that is, a hungry commander of armies), but this is very tenuous and makes the motto not a description of the pope but of someone else who was on the world stage during his reign.

• “Religio depopulata” (“Religion destroyed”). This is connected with Benedict XV (1914–1922), but there is no good way to link him in particular with this motto. There is no obvious connection to his name, family, place of origin, or coat of arms. He did not destroy religion or religious life. Neither were either destroyed during his reign. He did reign during World War I, but that did not destroy either. He also reigned when communism came to power in Russia. That didn’t destroy religion in his day or in Italy. And again, we’d be connecting the motto with something other than the pope. If that were allowed then it would be possible to connect every motto with something that happened somewhere in the world during a pope’s day, and the prophecies would have no particular value as they would all be applicable to any pope.

What should we make of all this?

Let’s return now to the motto that supposedly describes Pope Francis: “Peter the Roman.” The name Peter has no clear connection to Francis, whose baptismal name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio (other than the fact that he held the office of St. Peter, the papacy). And despite having some Italian ancestry, Francis was not Roman by birth but rather Argentinian. 

There’s more: The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that even though the prophecy designates “Peter the Roman” as the last pope, the prophecy does not say that no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor, designated “Gloria olivæ” (“The glory of the olive”). The prophecy merely says that Peter the Roman, whenever he shows up, will be the last. 

Thus there is no compelling reason to believe that Peter the Roman is Pope Francis. (Many news articles and commentators also claim that the prophecy predicts Peter the Roman will show up in 2027, but in reality the document makes no mention of a year.)

Taking all of this together, Catholics need not worry much about St. Malachy’s prophecies. It is not an approved apparition, and the evidence is consistent with it being a forgery composed around 1590.

More fundamentally, Jesus indicated that we would not know the time of the end — and in keeping with Our Lord’s warning, predictions of the end of the world based on the Bible have a dismal track record. Trying to predict the end of time based on an unapproved private revelation that shows signs of being forged is even more misguided. 

We should trust God, live according to his word, and leave the future in his hands.

As Jesus said:

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day (Mt 6:34).”

This piece was adapted from a blog post by Jimmy Akin first published in the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, on Feb. 24, 2013.