Everyone from cooks to translators to elevator operators took an oath of secrecy at the Vatican on Monday — under threat of automatic excommunication — to prepare for this week's conclave.

After a cry by an archbishop of “Extra omnes,” or everyone out, the doors of the Sistine Chapel were shut around 5:44 p.m. as the conclave began amid hermetic secrecy.

VATICAN CITY — As the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel in procession Wednesday for the start of the conclave to pick the next pope, talk was swirling that the throne of St. Peter could go to ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cleaners and cooks. Doctors and nurses. Even drivers and elevator operators. All the support staff for the cardinals who will elect the successor to Pope Francis are taking ...

People watch a screen in St .Peter's Square showing cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, on the first day of the conclave to elect the next pope, at the Vatican, May 7, 2025. Kevin Coombs/REUTERS ...

All mobile phone signal will be deactivated in the Vatican on Wednesday ahead of the highly secretive conclave to elect the next pope, Italian state media reported.

The Vatican has released images of Pope Francis being laid out in an open coffin ahead of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony.

PHOTO SLIDE SHOW: In preparation for the conclave to elect a new pope, workers build platforms over a protective covering on the marble floor of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican May 2, 2025.

A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.” ...

Hundreds of cardinals attended mass inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Sunday, to mark the end of a nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis. Latest U.S.

From a portable throne carried on the shoulders of attendants to state-of-the-art electric cars, the pope’s means of transportation have evolved considerably over the years.

No pope is chosen after first day of Vatican conclave Over the coming days, eyes will search for the billowing white smoke that signals Habemus Papam: “We have a pope.” Updated May 7, 2025 ...