Archive April 21, 2025

Who will be the next pope? The selection process and what happens next

Pope Francis died on Monday morning, the Vatican announced, days after he was discharged from hospital after undergoing treatment for a complex respiratory infection. He was 88 years old.

His death, 12 years after he was declared pope, has prompted renewed questions about who will succeed him as leader of the Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest religious institutions with up to 1. 39 billion followers.

Here’s what you need to know about what could come after Pope Francis, whose social justice ideals and global vision have transformed the Church.

Who will be the next pope?

A successor has yet to be chosen.

The College of Cardinals, comprised of senior Catholic clergy – many appointed by Francis himself – will elect the next pope. To be eligible, a candidate must be a baptised, male Roman Catholic, though for centuries, the cardinals have exclusively selected someone from their ranks.

There are currently more than 240 cardinals worldwide. They typically hold the title for life.

How is a new pope chosen?

Cardinals below the age of 80, when the pope dies or resigns, vote in what is known as the papal conclave. To prevent outside influence, the conclave locks itself in the Sistine Chapel and deliberates on potential successors.

While the number of papal electors is typically capped at 120, there are currently 138 eligible voters. Its members cast their votes via secret ballots, a process overseen by nine randomly selected cardinals. A two-thirds majority is traditionally required to elect the new pope, and voting continues until this threshold is met.

After each round, the ballots are burned with chemicals, producing either black or white smoke, signalling to the world about the outcome. Black smoke signals that no decision has been made, while white smoke means a new pope has been elected. Once the pope is elected, a top cardinal announces his name from Saint Peter’s Basilica.

A general view shows St Peter's square when white smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel (C background) meaning that cardinals elected a new pope during the conclave on March 13, 2013 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI (Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP)
A general view shows St Peter’s Square when white smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in Vatican City, March 13, 2013 [Tiziana Fabi/AFP]

When will the papal conclave start?

It usually happens two or three weeks after the death or resignation of the sitting pope. This allows for a nine-day mourning period and for cardinals to make their way to the Vatican from around the world.

The 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, the first pontiff from South America, began just 12 days after the resignation of his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

How long does it take to elect a new pope?

The process can take days, weeks or even longer, depending on how divided the cardinals are.

Each day, the conclave can hold up to four rounds of voting to try to achieve the required two-thirds majority. If, after 33 rounds, there is still no decision, the top two candidates face off in a run-off vote.

The elections of the last three popes have been relatively quick, with each lasting only several days.

But historically, elections have sometimes dragged on much longer, with the papal conclave that elected Pope Gregory X in 1271 taking nearly three years due to fierce political wrangling.

Who are the top candidates to become the next pope?

Of the 138 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave, a total of 110 were appointed by Pope Francis. This group is notably more diverse than previous electors, with a higher representation from Asia, Africa and Latin America, reflecting Francis’s goal of mirroring the Church’s global reach. The youngest cardinal elector is only 45 years old, a Ukrainian clergyman based in Australia.

Interactive_Pope_selection_Feb2025_2_INTERACTIVE - Likely pope successors-1739975446As a result, there is a possibility that, for the first time in centuries, the next pope could come from Africa or Asia, or another region traditionally underrepresented in the Church’s leadership.

Among the African cardinals being discussed are Ghana’s Peter Turkson, the former head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa. Both are committed conservatives who have been vocal advocates for peace in their respective countries.

Another strong contender is Philippine Cardinal Luis Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila. Like Pope Francis, Tagle emphasises social justice and caring for the poor.

Pope Francis meets Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (C) and a group of migrants during the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, September 27, 2017. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Pope Francis meets Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (C) and a group of migrants in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, September 27, 2017 [Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters]

Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is seen as a leading conservative candidate and could serve as a bridge to Eastern Christians. The archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Erdo, is a traditionalist who has championed outreach to Orthodox Christians, stressing the “desperate need” for unity between the churches.

Also in the mix is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, whose top diplomatic role ensures he is well known by all cardinals.

Other possible candidates include Italy’s Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, and Malta’s Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, a position that kept him in close contact with Pope Francis.

What happens to the Vatican during a transition?

During the “sede vacante” (vacant seat) period – when the papal office is unoccupied – a senior cardinal, known as the camerlengo, certifies the pope’s death and temporarily takes charge of the Vatican’s finances and administrative affairs. He does not have the authority to alter Church doctrine or make significant decisions.

Billy Ray Cyrus and Liz Hurley’s kids’ have VERY different reaction to relationship update

Liz Hurley’s son Damian has made a very telling comment about her new romance with country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, whilst his children’s own response seems to reveal all

Liz with her son Damian(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)

Liz Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus broke the internet with the revelation that they are dating. The model shared a picture of the country singer kissing her on the cheek as she marked the Easter weekend.

Alongside the snap, Liz posted the caption Happy Easter alongside a love heart as friends and fans rushed to social media to comment on the new romance. One wrote: “Happy Easter, my darling. I hope you’re having the best time.”

“Oh, who else totally did not have this one on their 2025 bingo card? ” another shared, with a third writing: “How many of us were all like WAIT WHAT when we opening the app and saw this? ! ! Did not see this one coming. “

Liz’s son Damian was quick to post a celebration emoji and a heart emoji under the post, but it looks like Billy Ray’s children haven’t yet had their say publicly on the new romance.

Billy Ray reportedly has a strained relationship with his kids – with Trace Cyrus posting an open letter to his dad earlier this year to say the family were “genuinely worried” about him.

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Liz and Billy are an item
Liz and Billy are an item(Image: @elizabethhurley1/instagram)

In an open letter, he shared: “Since my earliest memories all I can remember is being obsessed with you and thinking you were the coolest person ever. I wanted to be just like you. The day you adopted me was the happiest day of my life.

“Sadly the man that I wanted so desperately to be just like I barely recognize now. It seems this world has beaten you down and it’s become obvious to everyone but you. You may be upset with me for posting this but I really could care less at this point. Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you’ve pushed all of us away. “

He added: “Noah desperately has wanted you to be a part of her life and you haven’t even been there for her. That’s your baby girl. She deserves better. Somehow just like me she still idolizes you though. “

Miley Cyrus didn’t respond to the recent comments made by Trace but there had been speculation she wasn’t close to her father. He also recently shared a post celebrating both Miley and younger daughter Noah’s new music.

“Holy s*** I seldom ever swear in my post but this deserves one! You are witnessing in real time what it feels like for a Dad who with in less than one [week’s] time has had his ass kicked and his mind blown by not one …but two of his own daughters,” he wrote.

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“Flesh and blood… completely taking their art to a whole new level. Congratulations girls! Well done. I’m so damn proud of both of you. I’m actually crying as I write this. Thank God you can’t see me. Have fun now and be happy! Love Dad.”

Harvey Price’s weight loss fight in full as distraught mum Katie fears the worst

Katie Price has admitted she is ‘heartbroken’ over her eldest child Harvey’s weight, which she revealed has now, worryingly, gone up to almost to 30 stone

Katie Price has admitted she’s wracked with worry over her son Harvey’s weight(Image: WireImage)

Katie Price has admitted she’s wracked with worry over her son Harvey’s weight. The former glamour model’s eldest child, 22, who suffers from Prader-Willi syndrome – which causes symptoms including constant hunger – is now tipping the scales at almost 30 stone, which Katie has admitted is “life threatening”.

The mum-of-five, 46, has opened up Harvey’s weight before, heartbreakingly revealing that her “baby boy” and “bestie” is at risk of a heart attack because he’s unable to exercise. In her latest update, she said: “I’m so heartbroken and gutted that his weight is just going up. I just googled it in stones, 188kg is just a few kg of being 30 stone. It’s so life-threatening now. It’s so sad his quality of life at the moment where he’s so big…”

READ MORE: Katie Price reveals sad reality of Harvey’s weight battle as he struggles with simple tasks

Katie Price and Harvey
Katie Price has admitted she is ‘heartbroken’ over her eldest child Harvey’s weight(Image: katieprice/Instagram)

‘Constant hunger’

Katie described Harvey’s Prader-Will syndrome as “cruel” and admitted it can be “hard work”. Explaining that one of the symptoms of the condition is constant hunger, she said: “It’s a cruel and horrible illness where he feels hungry all the time – and if he doesn’t get food, he gets angry.

“It’s hard work. He’ll smash things up if you say no. I’ve had to re-plaster my walls because he’ll bash holes in them with his head. “

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Katie recently took Harvey back to college, but admitted it took all her effort to get him back there. Taking to Instagram alongside her son, she said: “It’s always hard taking Harvey back to college. “Harvey’s upset, aren’t you Harv? It’s okay.”

She continued: “Now that was very difficult, it was really upsetting. Harvey just did not want to go back to college. I’m surprised I’ve still got a car left, he was literally gonna go for the car. It is so sad when your son just doesn’t wanna go to college and just wants to be with you all the time.

“That’s why I can’t wait for him to come home near us but the place we have got for him is not ready yet – maybe in May. So yeah, it is heartbreaking. “

At risk of a heart attack

Katie previously explained Harvey’s health was so serious he was at risk of having a heart attack as she admitted they had turned to the doctors for support.

Updating her followers about the health risks Harvey’s weight poses, she said: “It’s really, really serious and life-changing for Harvey. He’s at risk of a heart attack and because of his condition, he’s not getting any smaller. He’s putting on weight. It doesn’t matter what we do.

“He just can’t really do much. It’s just another thing I have to deal with because he’s at high risk of having a heart attack, he struggles to put his trainers or struggles to walk anywhere, but I love him and I’m going to help him through this. “

Katie Price and Harvey
The mum-of-five has explained that Harvey’s health is so serious he is at risk of having a heart attack(Image: katieprice/Instagram)

‘Can’t put shoes on without sweating’

Sadly, Harvey’s exercise is severely limited because of his weight, putting him in a vicious cycle with regards to losing even a few pounds.

Admitting that her son can’t put on his shoes without sweating, Katie said: “He can’t put his shoes on without sweating. He can’t walk far because he gets out of breath. It’s because of all the weight. So the doctors are doing it to give him a better, longer life, and for his health. “

Weight loss jabs

Earlier this year, Katie revealed that she had turned to weight loss injections in an effort to help Harvey control his weight. She has referenced the drug Mounjaro – which contains an ingredient called tirzepatide, which has been known to help suppress appetite.

Katie previously told The Sun of Harvey’s weight and health issues: “The good thing about starting him on the drug is, if it has any effect, you can stop it because you do it weekly.

“We’ve tried food, he’s had ­dietitians, it’s just the way he is. And he’s on a lot of medication which the drug won’t affect. They want to try him on it for at least one or two years, which is a long time, but they’ll control what level he needs then up it as they assess it. ”

Harvey Price
Heartbreakingly, Harvey doesn’t understand the side-effects of his dangerous weight(Image: Instagram/katieprice)

The saddest part of all

In a heartbreaking admission, Katie revealed that Harvey doesn’t understand the life-threatening effects of his dangerous weight.

Harvey has a huge following on social media and a legion of loyal fans, who are all captivated by his heartbreaking innocence along with his love of frogs and trains.

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Taking to Snapchat, updating her followers about her son’s condition, Katie explained that he, sadly, has no idea about the danger he’s in health wise, as she shared: “So sad, obesity and his condition is sad, it’s sad to see someone go through it and he doesn’t understand. ”

READ MORE: Travellers can escape April showers with these bargain beach holiday deals

Pope Francis through the years: A life in pictures

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has died. He was 88 years old.

Born in Argentina, he was the first Latin American pope as well as the first non-European to serve for more than 1,000 years.

He was known for his simple words and humble manner that immediately won over the crowds.

After he assumed the papacy in 2013, Francis aimed to make the church more inclusive, opening up key roles to women and trying to address the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics. Analysts, however, remain divided about the success of his efforts.

The 88-year-old pontiff was recovering from double pneumonia and was under doctors’ orders to observe two months of convalescence since he left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23.

Francis suffered from a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at the age of 21.

He became increasingly fragile in recent years.

China warns countries not to strike trade deals with US at its expense

China has warned countries seeking exemptions from United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs not to strike deals at its expense.

Beijing’s warning comes as dozens of US trade partners are scrambling to negotiate relief from Trump’s trade salvoes, including steep “reciprocal” tariffs that have been paused until July.

“Appeasement cannot bring peace, and compromise will not earn respect,” a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

“Sacrificing others’ interests to obtain so-called exemptions for temporary selfish gains is akin to negotiating with a tiger; it ultimately leads to failure for both parties and harms everyone involved. ”

While China respects countries’ efforts to resolve their trade disputes with the US, they should also “stand on the side of fairness and justice” and “on the correct side of history”, the ministry said.

“It is particularly important to emphasise that China firmly opposes any party achieving deals at the expense of Chinese interests,” the spokesperson said.

“Should such a situation arise, China will not accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures. ”

The ministry issued the statement after Bloomberg News last week reported that the Trump administration intends to push countries seeking relief from tariffs to reduce their trade with China.

US officials are discussing plans to pressure trade partners to stop importing excess goods from China and impose duties on imports from specific countries with close ties to the Asian giant, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

While Trump announced a 90-day pause on his “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, his administration has ramped up its trade war with Beijing by hiking import taxes on Chinese exports to as high as 145 percent.

China, which has pledged to “fight to the end” if Washington continues to escalate the trade spat, has hit back by imposing duties of 125 percent on US exports.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that more than 70 countries have reached out to express interest in negotiating trade deals.

Japanese officials last week visited Washington to begin talks aimed at securing relief for key exports, including cars and steel, while officials from South Korea are due to kick off ministerial-level negotiations on Thursday.

Despite escalating his trade salvoes against China, Trump said last week that he expects to ultimately seal a “very good” trade deal with Beijing.

In its statement on Monday, China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the Trump administration of engaging in “hegemonic politics” and “unilateral bullying” under the pretence of “reciprocity”.

“If international trade reverts to the ‘law of the jungle’, all countries will become victims,” the spokesperson said.

Liz Hurley’s love life – Billy Rae Cyrus to Shane Warne’s devastating admission

Liz Hurley’s turbulent love life has been like something you would read in a film script, so after appearing to go public with Billy Rae Cyrus, fans hope there’s a happy ending

(Image: Getty Images)

Actress and model Liz Hurley has got everyone talking over her budding new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus. Fans she will be hoping that luck has finally found its way into her love life.

The fashion icon, 58, appeared to confirm love is in the air with legendary country star, 62, after posting a photo on Instagram of the two of them cuddled up on a wooden fence in a grassy field. Liz can be seen smiling in a plaid shirt and straw hat with her potential new man wearing a green bunny ear headband, plants a kiss on her cheek.

The caption-free image, jointly posted from both of their verified Instagram accounts, was enough to send the internet into a frenzy. The photo comes just months after Billy Ray’s high-profile split from singer Firerose, fuelling even more speculation about the timing and sudden nature of this new pairing.

The British beauty, best known for her roles in films such as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Bedazzled, is currently believed to be filming in the Caribbean. She is starring in her son Damian’s debut feature film, where Billy is also reportedly involved in the production. The two are thought to have grown close during the project.

Elizabeth Hurley Billy Ray Cyrus
The star got tongues wagging as she teased a budding new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus(Image: @elizabethhurley1/instagram)
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liz hurley elizabeth bill clinton hugh grant
Liz and Grant, pictured here in 1995, always remained close(Image: Getty)

Liz has yet to find her Mr Right with fans desperate for her to find happiness. It’s not for the want of trying, and there have been a number of close calls along the way with some very big names.

Shooting to fame alongside floppy-haired actor Hugh Grant in the 80s, the pair dated from 1987 to 2000 and all looked rosy for Hollywood’s golden couple before his infamous Divine Brown ‘drive’ hit the headlines. It was during Liz’s relationship with Hugh that actor Tom Sizemore allegedly began his own affair with Liz in 1992 on the set of Passenger 57.

Writing in his book By Some Miracle I Made It Out Of There, Tom claimed that, just a few days after meeting, the pair consummated their relationship. “That night we went back to her hotel room, which had a little kitchenette, and she made roasted chicken with green beans and broke out two bottles of wine. I think I was in love by the time I had my second glass,” he wrote.

“Then she went into the bedroom and came out in lingerie that would make her later outfits in the Austin Powers movies seem tame, and she got on the coffee table and stripped. And it was a goddamn good routine, too. She knew what she was doing because in the middle of it she looked at me and asked: ‘Is it too bright for you? ‘”

In 2001 the former Gossip Girl star also had an 18-month long non-exclusive fling with multi-millionaire Steve Bing with whom she shares her only child, Damian. The Film producer denied that he was Damian’s father but a paternity test proved he was and the pair have had a strained relationship since, with Liz previously even publicly refusing to accept the yearly child support payments of £100,000 that Bing offered through the courts.

Then in 2002 Liz began dating Indian textile heir Arun Nayar, eventually marrying in 2007 in a glittering ceremony attending by stars such as Sir Elton John, before filing for divorce on April 2 2011 citing his ‘unreasonable behaviour’. Soon, one of sports biggest names caught her eye.

Liz began dating Aussie cricketer Shane Warne who she’s had an on/off relationship with for a long time. Some time later he admitted his years with her were the happiest of his life and he still misses the love they shared – and admitted that he felt threatened by her friendship with her ex Hugh Grant.

Bowler Shane also told of his regret at cheating on wife of 10 years Simone with Liz, 53, who he met in 2010. And he said of his 2013 split with Liz: “The long periods apart were too difficult. The more you’re apart, the more you ask questions. I got jumpy about the time Elizabeth spent with Hugh Grant, for example.

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“I still care for her. She showed me what a relationship should mean.” The couple were together for three years. The death of the cricket legend in 2022 shocked the world. He died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52, while on holiday in Thailand leaving fans, family and friends devastated.

Liz has also been linked to former NBA player Steve Nash and businessman Theodore Forstmann years before his death. There were more romance rumours in 2019 after the film favoruite and Justin Theroux were spotted attending several events together in Morocco.