White smoke from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday signaled that the cardinals have selected the next leader of the Catholic Church.

The first thing the new pope will do is choose a name. In the history of the papacy, the most commonly used name has been John, first chosen in 523 by Saint John I, the Vatican says. The last pope to choose that name was Italian Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, elected Pope John XXIII, in 1958. Roncalli was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in 2014.

Cardinals are meeting in a secret, sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to follow Pope Francis

After the death of a Pope, a papal conclave—an incredibly secretive and important process— takes place in the Vatican as cardinals determine who will next lead the Catholic Church.Following the passing of Pope Francis on April 21,

As dozens of cardinals arrived for their pre-conclave meetings on Friday, it was probably not lost on them that the next pope was among them. So, who

As the Catholic Church prepares to elect its next spiritual leader, here’s a detailed look at the centuries-old ritual of the papal conclave, an event marked by history, secrecy, and sacred tradition.