There have been just seven papal elections in the last 100 years, with more than a quarter-century passing between the election of Pope John Paul II in October 1978 and that of his successor, Benedict ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A television crew stands in front of St. Peter's Basilica as the conclave to elect a new pope is set to begin on Wednesday, May 7.

When a new pope is elected, there are two signs that mark that historic moment: the white smoke (fumata bianca in Italian) erupting from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the formula habemus papam ...

See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The crowd in St. Peter's Square erupted in cheers as the traditional ...