In Rome, the conclave is the talk of the town: from speculation over a morning espresso about who will be the next pope to taxi drivers complaining about how roadblocks have made their work even more difficult.
As members of the College of Cardinals met May 5, all 133 cardinals who plan to enter the conclave to elect a new pope had arrived in Rome, the Vatican press office said.
The cardinals preparing to elect a new pope must strengthen communion in the Catholic Church, promoting a form of unity that has nothing to do with uniformity and everything to do with a common focus on Jesus, a Benedictine abbot told the College of Cardinals.
After the casket bearing Pope Francis' body was placed in St. Peter's Basilica, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects.
Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88 gave new energy to millions of Catholics -- and caused concern for some -- as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about mission, poverty, immigration and dialogue.
Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
As Pope Francis continues his recovery at the Vatican, he is very slowly beginning to get back to his old routine of meeting with top Vatican officials, the Vatican press office said.
Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of three blesseds: an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during World War II and a Venezuelan religious sister who dedicated her life to education and the poor.
On March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the International Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated in more than a dozen countries.
Imagine being able to explore all of St. Peter's Basilica, its artistic masterpieces and the saint's underground tomb as well as interact with its caretakers and archeologists to learn more about the world's largest church and even have a go at restoring it -- virtually, that is, and in the 3-D blocky world of Minecraft.
