Papal conclave 2013: A look at the top contenders to be the next pope . Updated: Mar. 10, ... and could nudge ahead his papal chances if the conclave looks to return the papacy to Italian hands.

"The closer we get to the conclave, it's harder to see an outsider causing an upset." That helps explain why Paddy Power was taking bets that the next pope will hail from Italy at 1-1.

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 24, 2013— ... Conclave Politics Set Against Italy's Political Backdrop. That said, Italy has a political and media culture very different from the Granite State.

Papal Conclave Gets Under Way At The Vatican The Mass before the conclave, the homily, the procession of cardinals into the Sistine Chapel, and the command "extra omnes" ("everyone out" — except ...

On the first day of the papal conclave, ... Newly elected Pope Francis appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City.

But in modern times, papal conclaves have skewed much shorter: The longest conclave in the 20th century lasted five days. And in 2013, Pope Francis was elected in a little over 24 hours. Who can ...

The Vatican on Monday set the date for the Papal conclave amid some drama over whether a ... in 2013, Francis was elected in two days. Pope Francis’s death on April 21 resulted in a surge ...

A papal conclave, the election of a new pope, tends to begin 15-20 days after a papal vacancy. ... On the flip side, Pope Francis was elected just one day after the conclave began in 2013.

The conclave, customarily held 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death, will start May 7. There is no set time limit for the conclave; the longest conclave in modern times took place in 1903, when ...