World
A sea gull took center stage at the last conclave.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York has some advice for cardinals who are about to experience their first conclave.
“Bring a book,” he said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon, as the cardinals packed their bags to move into Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican City guesthouse where scores of cardinals stay during the conclave, the process of selecting the next leader of the Catholic Church.
“I do,” said Cardinal Dolan, “because in the conclave is mostly silence.”
When the cardinals meet for the conclave, they gather in the Sistine Chapel. All cardinal electors must swear an oath of secrecy and vote by secret ballot. The cardinals cast repeated votes until there is a two-thirds majority, and the next pope is selected.
The voting process can take an hour or two each time, so there is a lot of waiting while each cardinal fills out his ballot and submits it in an elaborate ritual to ensure there are no election violations, he said.
“It’s not like you’re at the edge of the seat, and watching them all do that,” said Cardinal Dolan, who attended the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013.
He’s bringing a biography of Michelangelo, which felt appropriate, as he will be surrounded by some of the artist’s masterpieces, including “The Last Judgment,” which depicts the second coming of Christ and covers the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.
Cardinal Dolan said he had top candidates for pontiff in mind, men whose writing and work he has studied.
“You want to see a guy who speaks well, you look for some linguistic ability. It would be very difficult for someone who did not know enough Italian,” he said. “If you don’t know the difference between carbonara and tagliatelle, you’re in trouble. It would be very difficult for somebody who only knows Italian, because you’re also a universal pastor.”
As he spoke, he looked down at St. Peter’s Basilica from the roof terrace of the Pontifical North American College.
“I think it’ll be longer than last time,” he said, referring to the process that selected Pope Francis, which took two days. He said he had brought 12 packets of peanut butter, thinking that would be enough for him to eat three a day while sequestered. “So you figure that out,” he said on the math.
The meetings held before the conclave have been “strenuous,” he said, with “one cardinal after another” getting up to speak.
Cardinal Dolan said the cardinals had shared their concerns about what they see as challenges for Christians in Islamic countries; in countries with oppressive governments; in regions without enough Catholic priests; or where religious liberty is suppressed.
“Think of the cardinal from Sudan. Think of the cardinals from the Holy Land,” he said.
One cardinal was grateful that Francis had traveled all over the world, he said, while another said maybe the next pope should largely stay at the Vatican and bring cardinals to meet with him there.
“One of the cardinals said, I love Pope Francis, and I am grateful for his 12 years. But we are here to elect the successor of Peter, not the successor of Francis,” he said, referring to St. Peter, the first pope. “That of course is true. We have to remember that.”
The ancient and elaborate rituals of the conclave can be mystifying for those watching from afar. But new cardinals “will also say, we don’t really know the rituals and the protocol, we don’t even know what to wear,” he said. “They’re so honest and they’re so fresh.”
After a morning Mass on Wednesday, the cardinals are expected to go back to Casa Santa Marta, unpack and have lunch. The accommodation and cuisine are relatively simple. “The food’s not that good,” Cardinal Dolan said.
The process is also extremely secretive, so much so that at the last conclave, even the blinds of Cardinal Dolan’s windows were secured shut so that no one could see in or out.
Vatican City shuts down, and the cardinals are sequestered, but they have a physician and a confessor available, “if we need help in body or soul,” he said.
World
Man charged with attempted murder, released after allegedly forcing toddler into crocodile enclosure at zoo
Man FORCES child into crocodile enclosure
A British man has been arrested after allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo. The child suffered critical injuries, and authorities say the suspect did not know the boy as the investigation continues.
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A man was released from custody on Friday after he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly forcing a 3-year-old boy into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo.
Cambridgeshire police said that the man, who remains unidentified, wasn’t fit to be interviewed.
The boy suffered critical injuries in the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Huntingdon, England, north of London.
The 30-year-old man will remain on bail until Sept. 30, pending further inquiries.
GEORGIA MOM’S WALMART TRIP DEVOLVES INTO ‘TUG-OF-WARRING’ IN DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HER SON
A crocodile rests inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“The man, who is not known to the victim, was assessed as not being fit for interview,” police said in a statement.
The boy is in stable condition, after reportedly suffering a broken arm and pelvis.
He was saved from the crocodile by Tracey Johnson, the wife of the zoo’s owner.
MOTHER JUMPS INTO WATER TO SAVE 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WHO FELL BETWEEN CRUISE SHIP AND DOCK
“I know Tracey very well and she’s a lovely lady and it’s nothing more than I’d expect from her,” a local told BBC News. “She’d always put her own life at risk to save someone else. She’s an extraordinary lady and very brave.
The villager added that Johnson put herself in “immense danger” during the rescue.
The owners said their tropical house would remain closed until further notice.
Crocodiles rest inside an enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Old Hurst, Cambridgeshire, Britain, on April 14, 2026. (Dorota Dee Trajdos/Reuters)
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today,” the owners wrote on social media.
Johnsons of Old Hurst is a farm and zoo north of London in Huntingdon, England. (Google Maps)
Huntingdonshire district councillor Charlotte Lowe said she couldn’t “fathom how it’s happened because they’ve got all the right protection and safety equipment, for want of a better word, in there,” The Guardian reported.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary for comment.
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US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his comments on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying she asked him “over and over” for a photo when the pair met at the G7 summit in France earlier this week.
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Following the summit, Trump told an Italian journalist that he “felt sorry for Meloni” after she “begged me to take a picture with her”.
Meloni hit back in a video posted to social media, branding Trump’s claims as “completely made up” and insisting that neither she nor Italy begs anyone for anything.
The once close pair’s relationship has grown increasingly fractious in recent months, particularly since Rome refused to provide the US support for its operations in Iran and after Meloni defended Pope Leo XIV, who was criticised by the Trump administration over his remarks on the war and the US’s immigration policies.
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Saturday. “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon”.
“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her “numbers up.” No thanks!!!” Trump added.
World
‘X-Men’ Star Famke Janssen Says Marvel ‘Made a Mistake’ By Not Asking Her to Return as Jean Grey in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Famke Janssen said during a recent conversation with Nerdtropolis at Spacecon 2026 that Marvel “made a mistake” by not bringing her back as Jean Grey for December’s “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“I am so bad at keeping secrets that I always say to everyone I’m the worst actor in the world. It’s all on my face. You right away will read it,” Janssen said. “I think they made a mistake, but hey, who am I? I’m just a little me who thinks that.”
Janssen first appeared as the telepath Jean Grey, aka Phoenix, in 2000’s “X-Men,” and then reprised the role for 2003’s “X2: X-Men United” and 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand.” She also briefly appeared as Grey in 2013’s “The Wolverine” and 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
Janssen’s absence from “Doomsday” is notable, considering Marvel is bringing back many of her “X-Men” co-stars for the film. Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (Magneto), James Marsden (Cyclops), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique) are all set to return.
In an October 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Janssen said in every interview she does, she’s asked about the future of Jean Grey in the MCU.
“It’s interesting,” Janssen said. “I didn’t realize that was such a big part. Every interview I do, that will come up, and of everything I say, that is going to be the only thing that’s gonna be printed.”
“I should be flattered, I suppose, that this character has resonated with people,” she added. “It’s been so long, but it’s nice that people are still talking about her. I’m sure every single time there’s a new movie that they’re doing, like [is it] ‘Doomsday?’ … it’ll come up again.”
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