German Catholic bishops say that even where the party has not tipped into extremism, it has failed to reform itself of such tendencies. They charge that a nationalism incompatible with Christianity has become the AfD’s animating ideology.

The chair of Peter may be empty, but the Vatican is still full.

As the conclave draws near, I am becoming more nervous and apprehensive about what is ahead of us. But all I am asked to do is to trust in God.

The popular website, where people are randomly assigned a cardinal to pray for, has been revived for the 2025 conclave.

The papal conclave will take place as usual in the hallowed space of the Sistine Chapel. What is the history of this famous church and its artistic treasures?

For the Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year C, John Connell reflects on the Gospel’s message of Jesus as a shepherd, who knows his sheep intimately and cares for them with great love.

“I become agitated when they say it’s time for an American, it’s time for an African, it’s time for a South Islander. I think that is so stupid. It’s time for the successor of Peter for 2025. The priority is evangelization.”

Whoever is elected as the next pope, one thing is certain: The church does not belong to him.

“In a time when the globalized economic and political order is crumbling—especially exposed during the Trump era—the church may well be one of the last stubborn institutions that still holds a truly global character.”

Far from the Sistine Chapel where cloistered cardinals will cast votes, people are placing bets on who will be chosen as the next pope.