Vatican City
Who will be the next pope?
The release of the film Conclave has once again thrown the spotlight on one of the most arcane, storied and secretive events in human history: the election of a new pope.
- by Rob Harris
Latest
Francis names the first woman to head a major Vatican office. Then gives her a male co-leader
Italian nun Sister Simona Brambilla will be responsible for every religious order, from Jesuit and Franciscan priests to the Mercy nuns and smaller movements.
- by Nicole Winfield
Pope opens new Jubilee year when pilgrims can obtain special indulgences
Some 32 million tourists are expected to walk through the “Holy Door” just opened by Francis at St Peter’s. He’s asked all to have courage to better the world.
- by Joshua McElwee
Has Mary Magdalene finally been found in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel?
The famous female disciple of Jesus may have been identified among 300 tangled figures depicted in the Sistine Chapel masterpiece.
- by Josephine McKenna
Assassination plot: Pope reveals British intelligence saved his life
Francis turned 88 on Tuesday and marked the occasion with revelations of a twin suicide bomb plot against him.
Michelangelo ‘painted a woman’s breast cancer’ in the Sistine Chapel
The naked woman was brought to life by the Renaissance figure in his iconic fresco, known as The Flood, painted between 1508 and 1512.
- by Josephine McKenna
Pope arrives in deeply Catholic Timor-Leste where crowds may reach 750,000
His three-day visit will include an open-air celebration of Mass the Vatican says may include more than half the population of 1.3 million.
- by Nicole Winfield
Pope Francis excommunicates archenemy archbishop
The Vatican’s former ambassador to the US developed a fringe following by peddling conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine on social media.
- by Nicole Winfield
Pope Francis hosts Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, 100 other comedians in Vatican
“All of us were thinking, how did this happen?” said comedian Conan O’Brien. “Why are we here, and when are they going to throw us out?”
- by Giada Zampano
Pope repeats gay slur, Italian media reports
Francis again used the term on Tuesday as he met Roman priests, saying it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary.
- by Giuseppe Fonte
Pope says sorry for use of homophobic slur in private meeting
Francis was said to have made the remark when the subject of admitting gay men to seminaries was raised by participants.
- by Rob Harris
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/vatican-city-gh9