Cardinals

How Papal Conclaves fared in the past century

Over the past century, no conclave has lasted more than five days and the fastest vote was for Pope Pius XII. Here's a look at a century of conclave balloting.

Who will be the next Pope? A look at the top contenders

In a conclave beginning tomorrow, Cardinals from around the world will gather to elect a new pope following the stunning resignation of Benedict XVI. In the secretive world of the Vatican, there is no way to know who is in the running, and history has yielded plenty of surprises. Yet several names have come up repeatedly as strong contenders.

Cardinals pray before conclave to choose new pope

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Cardinals prayed on Sunday for spiritual guidance ahead of a closed door conclave to choose a new pope to lead the Church at one of the most difficult periods in its history.

Cardinal electors arrive in Rome, no date set for conclave

At his daily press briefing Thursday, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said no date had yet been set for the conclave.