Cardinals from all over the world are poised to elect a successor to Pope Francis at the conclave that begins Wednesday. But what exactly is a cardinal? High dignitary A cardinal (from the Latin “cardinalis” or principal) is a high dignitary of the Catholic Church chosen by the pope to assist him in his government.

The secretive process could have begun as early as Monday, but the cardinals gave themselves extra time to get to know one another better.

New Orleans Roman Catholics are diverse and have mixed views on what they want to see in the next pope, whose selection will begin this week.

Just days before the papal conclave is set to take place, the official White House account on X posted the AI-generated image of Donald Trump in papal attire. View on euronews

It’s sad both for the White House and for the president,” one cardinal said. “I mean, he makes themselves ridiculous, right?”

The White House on Friday posted an image of President Donald Trump dressed as the pope on X, sparking both backlash and glee online.