Camillo Barone

Augustinians around the world are remembering fellow Augustinian Fr. Robert Prevost, who was elected as pontiff on May 8 by 133 cardinals after four votes.

Media representatives will be on the lookout for clues to the new pope's priorities and style.

In a moment reminiscent of Pope John Paul II's 1978 installation Mass, the new pope said, in Italian, "Be not afraid! Welcome the call of the church and of Christ the Lord." 

As the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled, signaling the election of a new pope, American Catholics gathered in Rome expressed both surprise and hope for the future of the church.

"You have to trust the process … you don't want them to rush it," said Elizabeth Whelan of Newfoundland, Canada. 

"Francis was my pope for less than two days," said a new Catholic visiting from the U.S. "I wish he'd stayed longer, because I kind of liked Pope Francis." But he was eager to see the new pope introduced to the world.

No man received 89 votes, or two-thirds of the 133 cardinal electors.

On May 7, in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, the conclave for the election of the new pope — the Catholic Church's most secret and fascinating ritual — will begin.

For Cardinal Juan García Rodríguez, the pre-conclave gatherings are not about orchestrated strategies or names whispered in corners. "The conclave and the general congregations are acts of faith," he said. 

Time is running out and there are still many cardinals registered to speak at the pre-conclave meetings called general congregations. Efforts are being made to ensure that all cardinals who wish to speak will have the opportunity to address the College of Cardinals.

In a workshop that's a stone's throw from St. Peter's Basilica, 86-year-old Raniero Mancinelli has been sewing cassocks for popes for more than half a century.

Over-80 cardinals, who cannot vote in the conclave, are lashing out at the Francis papacy, calling for change of course. "Give back the church to Catholics," a 94-year-old Italian cardinal said. 

The 200,000 euro donation captures the very essence of Francis' pontificate, said Bishop Benoni Ambarus, auxiliary Bishop of Rome.

After funeral, Argentine Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi looks ahead to next pope and hope to continue the message of the Francis pontificate.

Since Pope Francis' death, the Jesuits who knew him have reflected on the transformation of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from a conflicted provincial in Argentina to a global spiritual leader.

Pope Francis' body was carried in an open coffin into St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday. 

Lay Catholics in the U.S. reflected on Pope Francis' legacy as a pastor who sought out those on the peripheries and tried to make the Catholic Church a more welcoming space for the marginalized.

In the face of violence, deprivation, suffering and political turmoil, Palestinian Catholic priests offer Palestinian Catholics spiritual support and aid. Pope Francis calls one pastor every night.

While the pope's health struggles have left Carla Rabezzana uneasy, the lack of direct contact has also heightened her anxiety for her beloved cousin, who can "cheer you up with just a few words."

Dr. Greg Shay, a retired Catholic doctor, spent a month in Gaza in the fall. Back in the U.S., he wishes Catholics would be more vocal about ending the war.