Technologies

Pope Francis Is Laid to Rest: Here’s What Comes Next as Conclave Begins May 7

The cardinals — at least, those under 80 years old — vote for as long as it takes to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, was laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The service marked a poignant moment in Catholic history, drawing dignitaries from around the world to the Vatican. Representatives from 123 countries, including 61 heads of state and 42 government officials, attended the solemn Mass, reflecting the global impact of Francis’ papacy.

The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.

A simpler service

The pope’s funeral was less elaborate than those of other popes according to his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).

Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and to not be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.

During the funeral, the coffin was taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re led the service. After the service, the coffin returned to St Peter’s Basilica before being carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial.

Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass is the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine consecutive days of mourning. A different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.

Who attended Pope Francis’ funeral?

Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, attended the pope’s funeral.

Notable attendees included King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, the King and Queen of Jordan and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway. Prince William of the United Kingdom attended in place of his father, King Charles III.

From the United States, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were present. which marked Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. Former president Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, and former fifirst lady Jill Biden also attended the funeral.

The conclave begins May 7

The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will begin voting on May 7 for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are allowed to vote in a papal election, meaning 135 of the 252 existing cardinals are eligible to participate.

The conclave can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.

Although in the 13th century, it reportedly took three years to choose a pope, modern conclaves have been much shorter. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot on the second day of the conclave.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

Who are the contenders?

Several cardinals are considered potential strong candidates for the papacy. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy is noted for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with Pope Francis’ vision. Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines is also a prominent figure, recognized for his advocacy for social justice and poverty alleviation. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana is being discussed as a possible first African pope in the modern era.

Look for the white smoke

After the cardinals vote and their ballots are counted, the ballots are burned, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, chemicals will be added to the flames to produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.

If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in the 2024 film Conclave.

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.

For those interested in following the developments of the real conclave, live updates and analyses will be available through major news organizations and the Vatican’s official channels.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 15, #538

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 15, No. 538.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today is Selection Sunday, and the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle is all about the NCAA basketball tournament. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Oops!

Green group hint: Not the second word.

Blue group hint: They direct the team.

Purple group hint: They made it to the Big Dance.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Basketball fouls.

Green group: First words in NCAA tournament rounds.

Blue group: Women’s college basketball coaches.

Purple group: Teams qualified for the 2026 Men’s NCAA tournament.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball fouls. The four answers are block, charge, hold and reach-in.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is first words in NCAA tournament rounds. The four answers are elite, final, second and sweet.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is women’s college basketball coaches. The four answers are Auriemma, Close, Ivey and Staley.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams qualified for the 2026 Men’s NCAA tournament. The four answers are Gonzaga, High Point, Queens and Troy.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, March 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Today’s wasn’t terribly tough, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: On-call doctor’s device
Answer: PAGER

6A clue: Amazon virtual assistant
Answer: ALEXA

7A clue: Host of the 2026 Oscars
Answer: CONAN

8A clue: Stumped on a puzzle, say
Answer: STUCK

9A clue: Aves. and blvds.
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Election-influencing groups, for short
Answer: PACS

2D clue: Quite a few
Answer: ALOT

3D clue: The «Tyrannosaurus» of Tyrannosaurus rex
Answer: GENUS

4D clue: Right on
Answer: EXACT

5D clue: Puts in order from best to worst, maybe
Answer: RANKS

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #1008

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 15, No. 1,008

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough, but the yellow category has some fun options in it. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Mine, all mine!

Green group hint: A part you might use to build something.

Blue group hint: Blended words.

Purple group hint: Not a cow, but close.