Among the roughly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, many are keenly anticipating the upcoming Vatican conclave at which members of the College of Cardinals will elect a successor to Pope Francis. At a grocery shop in Beirut, a university in the United States, a Black township in South Africa and other far-flung locations, The Associated Press asked nine of them what they hope to see from a new pope.

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In response to Lebanon’s ongoing financial challenges, the American University of

Beirut (AUB) will host a conference titled Restoring Financial Trust in Lebanon:

Sursock Museum will hold this month a major solo exhibition by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Remembering the Light.

Spanning works produced mainly between 2016 and the present, the exhibition brings together installations, photographs, films, video and sculptures. It explores the vertigo of archeology, constructed imaginaries, fragilities, and persistence.

Under the global theme “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media”, UNESCO marked on Monday World Press Freedom Day 2025 with a celebration, held under the patronage of Dr. Paul Morcos, Minister of Information.

The event brought together media professionals, technology and AI experts, government representatives, civil society actors, and young journalists to reflect on the evolving relationship between technology and media in an era shaped by artificial intelligence.

Wanted: A holy man.

Job description: Leading the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.

Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis' funeral Saturday. In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted questions to the cardinals about the mood inside and whether there was unity. A reporter for a satirical Italian television program repeatedly asked whether an Italian cardinal who has been convicted by the Vatican criminal court on finance-related charges would be allowed to vote.

Hours after Pope Francis' death was announced, Israel's Foreign Ministry posted a short message on X: "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing." Several hours later, it was deleted without explanation.

Coming at a time of effusive global mourning over Francis' death, the decision to delete the post appeared to reflect the tensions that have emerged between Israel and the Vatican over Francis' frequent criticism of Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the deletion.

It's one of Shakespeare's most existential questions "to be or not to be?" Now a group of globe-trotting Peruvian actors with Down syndrome are tackling it head-on, breaking down prejudice and barriers.

Cristina Leon, Jaime Cruz and Manuel Garcia are members of the eight-strong group currently performing William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" at the Barbican center in London this week until Sunday.

The Vatican was making final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners filed through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin.

The bells of St. Peter's tolled Wednesday as the body of Pope Francis was transferred from the Vatican hotel where he lived into the basilica, escorted by a procession of solemn cardinals and Swiss Guards through the same piazza where the pontiff had greeted the faithful from his popemobile just days before in what became his final good-bye.

Pallbearers carried the simple wooden coffin on their shoulders through the Vatican's archway gates, out into St. Peter's Square and into the basilica, the cardinals in their scarlet cassocks, bishops in their purple robes and the Swiss Guards in their golden and blue uniforms processing slowly behind.