Catholic cardinals will meet on 7 May to start voting for a new Pope, the Vatican announced on Monday, a week after the death of Pope Francis. Cardinals, who are called “Princes of the Church”, under the age of 80 years will meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new religious leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. The …

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is heading a high-level Nigerian delegation to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, in Vatican City on Saturday. This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday. President Tinubu sent the five-member delegation, which also includes …

The Vatican is making preparations for the upcoming conclave that will choose the successor of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88 years. Citing the Vatican, it was reported that the pope died after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, and his funeral has been scheduled for Saturday. It was reported that after nine days of …

The funeral of Pope Francis will take place on Saturday, 26 April 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square. This was according to a statement on Tuesday by the Holy See Press Office. According to the statement, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, ‘Will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, …

Nigeria President Bola Tinubu has paid an emotional tribute to the late Head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who died earlier today. In a statement made available to Newsmen, on Monday, 21st April, President Tinubu said: ‘Today, with a heavy heart, I join the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a humble …

Pope Francis died on Monday aged 88, a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement. ‘Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis’, said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on …

Pope Francis on Palm Sunday delighted worshippers with an impromptu tour of St Peter’s Square, against the advice of his doctors to avoid crowds while recovering from pneumonia. For the second Sunday in a row after the longest hospital stay of his papacy, the 88-year-old pontiff left his Vatican quarters, handing out sweets to children and shaking hands while doing …

Pope Francis on Thursday shared an audio message to worshippers for the first time since being admitted to hospital in February. In the newly released audio message shared with worshippers at the start of the evening Rosary prayer in St Peter’s Square, Pope said: “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from …

Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for two weeks with double pneumonia, is in a “stable” condition, with no recurrence of the previous day’s breathing crisis, the Vatican said on Saturday. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church is still receiving oxygen but has no fever, has been eating, is alert, and praying, the Holy See said in its …

The first item that caught my attention on Facebook penultimate Wednesday was Mr. Nsikak Essien’s page. It reads: “Christianity is not a primitive accumulation of wealth, an obscene display of opulence”. The photograph of the Catholic Church’s Pope Francis blessing a white car followed. A horde of executives clad in black (business) suits stood behind him. Nsikak’s narrative continued: “This …