As the cardinals file into the Sistine Chapel, the stakes of the 2025 Conclave go far beyond the walls of the Vatican.
With nearly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and influence that ripples through culture, geopolitics, and moral discourse, the next pope will define not just the future of the church but its very identity.
The conclave begins on Wednesday May 7 as some 130 cardinals are already in Vatican and took an oath of secrecy on Tuesday Morning.
The election of a new pope is expected to take about five days.
