People walk near St. Peter's Basilica, background, in Rome, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the day before of the upcoming conclave starting on May 7, to elect the 267th Roman pontiff.

Andrea Gallardo, 20, from Texas, wears an American flag after Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday.

Priests stand under the soaring canopies of St. Peter’s Basilica on the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, June 27, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA ...

Explore the top landmarks of Rome, from the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica to the Roman Forum. A visual journey through ...

As 133 cardinals were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel where they would vote for a new leader of the Catholic Church, the faithful and the curious gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

More than 130 cardinals, from 70 countries, will enter the Sistene Chapel this afternoon ahead of a first vote to elect a successor to Pope Francis in the highly secretive process.

The Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost addressed a crowd outside St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, shortly after he was elected the first American to lead the Catholic Church as Pope Leo XIV.

A flag from the United States waves in the crowd as Pope Leo XIV appears at the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica for his first Sunday blessing after his election. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue ...

And then, as he emerges onto the balcony in St. Peter's Basilica and his name is said, in a way, there was actually almost kind of a sort of confusion because the speakers are not actually that good.

Pope Francis stands at the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on March 13, 2013, just after being announced as pontiff. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini Daniel Speed Thompson ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals process into St. Peter’s Basilica for a final Mass before conclave to elect the next pope.