Pope Leo XIV's election, praising Pope Francis and vowing to continue his work, is a historic moment for the Catholic Church and the world, potentially offering a moral leader in these troubled times.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of France cooed at babies on Sunday at a church in the Monti neighborhood of Rome. Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary asked for prayers for fellow cardinals at a church near the Colosseum. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Congo joined priests from across the globe behind the altar of a church in western Rome.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - All of the 133 cardinals expected to take part in the secret conclave to elect a new pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican said on Monday, with the race to succeed Pope Francis seen as wide open.

In a historic decision, the Roman Catholic Cardinals have elected the first American pope, and one Raleigh couple found themselves in the midst of the excitement while vacationing in Rome.

The pope has died. Hundreds of cardinals are gathering in Rome. The secret ballot for a successor hasn’t begun. But among church leaders, talk about who will next lead the 2,000-year-old church ...

According to Politico, the 2024 thriller has been a “helpful research tool” for clerics to learn about how the process works.

The post also showed how much more secular Americans have become since John F. Kennedy, the nation’s first Catholic president, ran in 1960.

The United States is home to 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. That's more than any other nation except Italy, home to 17 of the electors who will gather at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for the conclave that will choose a successor to Pope Francis.

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As the conclave to find Pope Francis’ successor continues, the cardinals are not eating gourmet food amid their sequestered time in the Vatican—see the foods like ravioli that are banned altogether.