Choosing a pope in an age of resurgent empires.

Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025. On May 8, Leo XIV was elected to lead the Church. For eighteen days, the seat of power stood vacant as the Vatican exposed its political machinery and its relationship to the world. Electing a pope from the United States at a moment when Trumpism was reshaping the international landscape was far from insignificant. Special correspondent of La Croix in Rome, Mikael Corre recounts this decisive moment. Through gestures, silences, and details, he examines the different worldviews, understandings of power, and fundamental questions that run through the Church.