May 2025
As the conclave to elect a new Pope begins and John Dew joins his fellow cardinals, take a look back at the last time a Kiwi took part.
In 2005, Thomas Williams was in the conclave that elected Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI.
In the photos, you can see where Cardinal Tom sat in the conclave (circled). Fun fact: speculation at the time was that his odds were 100-1 he’d be our first Kiwi Pope!
Another fun fact: sitting in the back of the 2005 conclave was Jorge Bergoglio – who became Pope Francis when he was elected at the next conclave in 2013.
