The panel discussion, on the eve of the Vatican conclave beginning May 7, was the final “Francis Factor” discussion for the university’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

Host of the “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts and a frequent presenter for Ascension, Father Mike Schmitz has been leading a novena praying for the cardinals and the conclave, which over a million people have viewed.

Invoking the help of the Holy Spirit and recognizing that millions of people all over the world were praying for them, 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel with a singular goal: to elect “a worthy pastor” for the universal church.

The Vatican’s approach to security protocols for the papal conclave “sets a gold standard for organizations handling sensitive decisions,” security expert and author Theresa Payton told OSV News.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India, considered a member of the late pontiff’s inner circle, offered OSV News a candid and deeply personal reflection on the late pontiff’s legacy, the pre-election meetings, and the kind of leader the church needs next. The conclave to elect him starts May 7.

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.

At Mass before the conclave that will elect the next pope, the dean of the College of Cardinals urged his brothers to choose the shepherd the church and all of humanity need “at this difficult and complex and tormented” turning point in history.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is facing an expedited bankruptcy court appearance, with the judge asking why the five-year-old case should not be dismissed for failure to reach a reorganization plan.

A former Vatican nuncio and collaborator in the Roman Curia, Sri Lankan Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, 77, has been leading the Archdiocese of Colombo since 2009.

Millions of U.S. citizen children are at risk of being left with no parents in their home under a mass deportation scenario, a new study by the Center for Migration Studies in New York estimated.