null / Credit: ivanko80/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 28, 2025 / 16:52 pm (CNA).

A first-of-its-kind study that delves into public health insurance records found that more than 1 in 10 women who take the abortion pill mifepristone to complete a chemical abortion will suffer a serious health complication during the process.

The study of 865,727 patients between 2017 and 2023, which was published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) on April 28, discovered that 10.93% of women suffer at least one “serious adverse event” within 45 days of taking mifepristone for an abortion.

“This isn’t idle speculation; this is based on the largest data set that we know of,” Ryan T. Anderson, the president of EPPC and one of the study’s authors, told EWTN.

More than 4.7% were forced to visit an emergency room related to the abortion, more than 3.3% suffered hemorrhaging, and more than 1.3% got an infection. Thousands were hospitalized, more than 1,000 needed blood transfusions, and hundreds suffered from sepsis. Nearly 2,000 had a different life-threatening adverse event.

In 2.84% of cases, the chemical abortion was unsuccessful and was subsequently completed through a surgical abortion. In a few thousand cases, an ectopic pregnancy went undetected.

The EPPC study is the most comprehensive research on the subject to date and suggests that the controlled environment of prior clinical trials — some of which reported the rate of adverse events to be as low as 0.5% — may not reflect the real-world consequences of the widespread use of the abortion pill in an increasingly deregulated market.

As the study notes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deregulated mifepristone in 2016 under President Barack Obama’s administration and again in 2023 under President Joe Biden’s administration.

The FDA lowered the number of in-person doctor visits to obtain mifepristone from three to one in 2016 and then to zero in 2023. In 2016, the FDA also removed requirements that the drugs be dispensed by a physician and taken in an office and got rid of the follow-up appointment rule and the mandatory reporting of adverse events. In 2023, the FDA opened up mail delivery for the drugs by ending the rule that they must be dispersed in a doctor’s office.

Prior to the 2016 changes, mifepristone could only be used through the first seven weeks of pregnancy. The revision under Obama changed that to the first 10 weeks.

More than half of all abortions nationwide are now conducted with mifepristone. 

“Now, because of Obama and Biden, abortion pills are taken alone, at home, via mail order,” Anderson said in a joint statement with co-researcher Jamie Bryan Hall, the director of data analysis at EPPC.

“The abortion industry tells women that the abortion pill is as safe as Tylenol,” they said. “That is fundamentally false, and women deserve the truth. Because most women are denied the truth about the abortion drugs, they are terribly unprepared for subsequent complications.”

A British study from late last year confirmed that this was the case, with many women reporting that they were unprepared for the pain they experienced from the chemical abortion. Nearly half of them experienced more pain than they expected and some warned that the pain levels were “washed over,” “downplayed,” or “sugarcoated” during consultations.

Christina Francis, a practicing OB-GYN and the CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, told CNA that EPPC’s data “confirms what we’re seeing in the real world” and that “even just based on my own clinical practice,” she knows “these drugs are not safe.”

Francis spoke about a patient she treated recently “who had ordered these drugs online.” The woman requested the abortion pill when she was nine weeks pregnant, but when she took them, she was “much further along … [than] when she first ordered the drugs” and suffered several health complications that required surgery.

She also discussed a colleague who treated a patient whose unborn child was expelled when the body was the “size of the palm of her hand,” which suggests the chemical abortion occurred past “the legal limit.”

“She saw her baby and it was very, very traumatic for her,” Francis said. “... This is happening in emergency rooms across the country.”

Father Tad Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), told CNA that the report “reminds us again how these toxic agents do not even belong in the field of medicine, which at its core is a healing ministry, since they directly target the life of unborn human patients.”

“Rather than being left to their own devices, when overwhelming evidence indicates that this powerful pharmaceutical has a high probability of causing sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other life-threatening outcomes, women are entitled to more restrictive regulation over those distributing these drugs, improved follow-up and surveillance in the aftermath of their self-administration,” Pacholczyk added.

EPPC urges Trump administration review

The researchers at EPPC encouraged President Donald Trump’s administration to review the current regulations and reimplement the safeguards that existed prior to the deregulation of the Obama and Biden administrations.

This would require three in-person doctor visits and confirmation that the woman’s pregnancy is still within the first seven weeks, as was originally required by the FDA. It would also require that the drug be prescribed by a physician and administered in person. It would also reestablish the mandatory reporting of adverse events.

“We’re hopeful the Trump administration will do the right thing,” Anderson told EWTN News.

Trump has promised that he would not ban the abortion pill but did not rule out regulating the drugs. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said earlier this year that he planned to investigate safety concerns related to mifepristone.

“Even pro-choice citizens should want to make sure that women make an informed choice, based on all the facts, and that any drugs they take are safe,” Anderson and Hall said in their joint statement provided to CNA.

Christina Francis agreed, emphasizing: “We cannot place abortion access above patient care and patient safety.”

“[This] should be something that all of us can agree on and come together on,” she said.

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.

San Antonio is the state’s second most populous city. Texas is short roughly 660,000 affordable rental units for its lowest‑income residents, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. / Credit: f11photo/Shutterstock

Seattle, Wash., Apr 28, 2025 / 13:56 pm (CNA).

Texas lawmakers are weighing whether parish parking lots, ballfields, and spare acreage could help ease the state’s housing crunch.

House Bill 3172 — the so‑called Yes in God’s Backyard, or YIGBY, bill — would let churches and other faith institutions build mixed‑income housing on land they already own without running a gauntlet of rezoning hearings, provided at least half the units stay affordable.

Jennifer Carr Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, backs the proposal.

“Catholics believe that housing is a human right, and governments, the private sector, and the Church share responsibility to make sure people have a stable place to live,” she said in an interview with CNA. YIGBY, she added, “gives parishes a chance to rethink their campuses so they can create affordable homes and keep their ministries thriving.”

Allmon pointed to a century‑old parish that turned about an acre of underused land into a project that rebuilt its aging school and carved out deeply discounted apartments for seniors. She sees similar deals sprouting across the state once zoning barriers fall. Her stance draws on “The Right to a Decent Home,” a 1988 pastoral letter from the nation’s bishops urging Catholic entities to inventory property “and examine how it might better be put at the service of those who lack adequate shelter.”

Rep. Gary Gates, the bill’s House author, chairs the Land and Resource Management Committee. A Catholic lobbyist flagged the idea, he recalled in an interview: “Vacant church land was a great thought. Some churches — Catholic, evangelical, you name it — have a lot of land that’s just sitting there.” Gates drafted the bill soon after.

The measure would let congregations develop parcels they’ve held for at least five years, up to five acres at a time, without a full zoning change. Projects must stay under nonprofit control and meet affordability targets. 

Gates said the acreage cap is meant to stop massive master‑planned enclaves from claiming a religious exemption. The Senate passed its companion in March; the House version awaits a committee vote while Gov. Greg Abbott’s policy team reviews it. “Our session ends in five weeks,” Gates said. “Either we do this now or we wait a year and a half.”

The need is clear enough. Texas is short roughly 660,000 affordable rental units for its lowest‑income residents, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. In San Antonio alone, a 2024 nonprofit survey counted about 3,000 acres of underused church land inside city limits. 

Financing structures will vary, said Maddie Johnson, program director of the Church Properties Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, but ground leases “are a natural option in a YIGBY context because the emphasis is on the church remaining the landowner.”

Equity splits expose parishes to development risk that can be hard to understand, she cautioned. Community pushback is inevitable whenever density lands in a low‑rise neighborhood, yet church campuses may have an edge because they already break the single‑family pattern.

“Any kind of density introduced into a low‑density neighborhood is going to be opposed,” Johnson said, but the scale of most church sites “is already an interruption to that texture.”

Gates argues that unlocking church land tackles cost at its root. “Thirty percent of the cost of a house is the land,” he said. “Opening church land widens the supply overnight.” Homeowner groups in well‑heeled enclaves worry that subsidized apartments will dent property values, but Allmon believes real‑world examples calm fears.

“When people see a parish partner with a developer to add affordable housing and expand ministry, the objections fade,” she said.

If the House clears the bill, parishes could break ground as early as 2026. Catholic conferences in Colorado, Georgia, and Florida are pushing similar bills. 

“Vacant acreage can sit idle or serve the Gospel,” Allmon said. “This legislation lets us choose the latter.”

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. 

A patch depicting the late Pope Francis is seen on the jersey of San Lorenzo’s Spanish midfielder No. 10 Iker Muniain during the Argentine Professional Football League 2025 Apertura Tournament football match between San Lorenzo and Rosario Central at the Pedro Bidegain stadium in Buenos Aires on April 26, 2025. The late Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, was a fan and member No. 88235 of Argentina’s San Lorenzo football club. / Credit: ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images

Dublin, Ireland, Apr 28, 2025 / 10:39 am (CNA).

Among the tens of thousands of mourners paying their respects before the coffin of Pope Francis last week was Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian World Cup-winning goalkeeper. A visibly emotional Buffon was accompanied by Gabriele Gravina, president of Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) (Italian Football Federation), as well as the Lazio squad and coaching staff. (Società Sportiva Lazio is an Italian professional sports club based in Rome.)

Pope Francis was a lifelong soccer fan and his passing was felt perhaps most acutely among fans of the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, a team he followed since childhood. During their match on Saturday, the club paid tribute to their most famous fan. San Lorenzo players wore a patch on their shirts with an image of Pope Francis smiling and wearing his papal robes, accompanied by the phrase “Together for Eternity.”

“The pope leaves an unbreakable legacy,” San Lorenzo Club president Marcelo Moretti told Reuters. “For all San Lorenzo fans, he was a source of great pride. It is a very sad day.” Moretti had recently met Pope Francis and gained his assent for the club’s new stadium to be named after him.  

The late pope’s membership number at San Lorenzo was 88235, and the club’s faithful have pointed out the uncanny symbolism of the number given to Jorge Mario Bergoglio when he became a member and Francis’ age and time of death.

“He died at 88 years old, at 2:35 a.m. (Buenos Aires time) and was member 88235,” observed a San Lorenzo fan on X.

When San Lorenzo eventually won the coveted Copa Libertadores in 2014, the team had a replica of the trophy to present to a jubilant Pope Francis in Rome.

During his pontificate, Pope Francis welcomed many professional soccer players to the Vatican, including Argentine World Cup winner Diego Maradona, who credited the pope with reintroducing him to his faith. He also welcomed Lionel Messi and spoke openly of his admiration for Pelé. 

Following Francis’ death on Easter Monday, there were a number of notable expressions of sympathy and respect from football stadiums across the world.

In Milan, the derby between Internazionale and AC Milan was marked by a minute of respect when both teams lined up to applause and the stadium’s public address system played Ennio Morricone’s theme “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission” — a film about early Jesuit missionaries to Latin America.

In Scotland, a match between soon-to-be crowned champions Glasgow Celtic and Dundee United was preceeded by an immaculately observed minute of silence by both sets of fans. Both clubs trace their origins back to their respective cities’ Catholic communities. 

Dundee United F.C. was originally founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1909, having a strong connection to the Irish Catholic community in Dundee. The club was formed to provide opportunities for young Irish Catholic immigrants.

Glasgow Celtic, British soccer’s first winners of the European Cup in 1967 were formed by an Irish Catholic priest Brother Walfrid. The Catholic faith is indelibly associated with the club, and this was underscored by their official visit to meet Pope Francis in November 2023. The club was in Rome for a champions league match.

In his official welcome, Pope Francis pointed to Celtic’s origins among poor Irish immigrants to Glasgow, touching on themes that resonated throughout his papacy. Flagging the importance of the identity of the club on and off the field he said: “The valued legacy of your club places a heavy responsibility on your shoulders to be good role models especially for young people.”

The world of soccer has shown respect for the papacy throughout the years, especially in times of mourning. In April 2005, a game between Polish clubs Lech Poznan and MKS Pogon Szczecin came to an unscheduled halt after 38 minutes when supporters began to chant for the match to be stopped and one fan ran on to the field to instruct the referee to stop the game. Players gathered to pray in the center circle and 15,000 supporters sang the national anthem. People cried. A television channel had mistakenly reported the death of Pope John Paul II and news had spread among supporters. 

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.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The 135 cardinals eligible to elect the next pope will enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave May 7, the Vatican announced. 

The cardinals will first celebrate the "Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff" in St. Peter's Basilica that morning before processing into the Sistine Chapel that evening.

The Vatican Museums announced that the Sistine Chapel would be closed to visitors beginning April 28 to allow preparations for the conclave to begin. The preparations include the installation of a stove to burn the cardinals' ballots and a chimney on the roof to signal the election results to the world.

The date for the conclave was set during the fifth general congregation meeting of cardinals April 28, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters at a briefing later that day. The general congregation meeting was the first after a two-day pause to allow cardinals to participate in the funeral rites for Pope Francis.

More than 180 cardinals attended the April 28 meeting, including over 100 cardinal electors. During the session, about 20 cardinals offered reflections on the state of the church, its mission in the world, the challenges it faces and the qualities needed in the next pope, Bruni said.

Topics addressed included evangelization, interfaith relations and the ongoing need to address clerical sexual abuse, he added.

The cardinals also discussed whether Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who relinquished the rights associated with being a cardinal after he was forced to resign in 2020, would be permitted to participate in the conclave. Bruni said no decision had yet been made, and Cardinal Becciu has been attending the general congregation meetings.

Looking ahead to the next session, Bruni said the general congregation meeting April 29 would open with a reflection by Benedictine Father Donato Ogliari, abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and a member of the Dicastery for Bishops.

As cardinals entered the Vatican for the morning's session, Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm was asked by reporters if he expected a long conclave. "I think it will be," he said, "because up to now we don't know each other."

Meanwhile, Cardinal Walter Kasper, former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity who is past the age limit to vote in the conclave, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that he hopes the cardinal-electors "come to a consensus on the next pope very soon, in the footsteps of Francis."

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