RELIGION

Elms College religious studies professor Michael McGravey called Pope Leo the XIV's election an "unprecedented" moment in the church's history.

More than 130 Catholic Cardinals have begun the selection process for a new pope Wednesday known as a conclave. On Tuesday, William Byrne, the Bishop of the Springfield Diocese weighed in on what he is looking for in a new pope.

Catholics around the world await the naming of the next leader of the Catholic church following the death Monday of Pope Francis. At St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield, Mass., several parishioners spoke fondly of him and what they hope in the next supreme pontiff.

In for Carrie Saldo, NEPM reporter Adam Frenier and panelists discuss the local impacts and legacy of Pope Francis, concern for veteran services as federal funding cuts continue, advocacy to eliminate life without parole sentencing and much more.

The pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

Bishop William Byrne announced the agency's new executive director, Shaina Rodriguez, at a press conference in the diocese pastoral center.

We hear about the first presidential Passover Seder at the White House in a new picture book with poet Richard Michelson and former State Senator Eric Lesser, check in with poet Martín Espada on some new work and get nerdy with the wordster.

Today on The Rundown with Carrie Saldo, panelists discuss the expansive legacy of local Black author James Weldon Johnson, discuss the absence of fluoride in drinking water in the Berkshires, remember the life of Bishop Bryant Robinson and much more.

Although the results of the Massachusetts attorney general's inquiry into child sexual abuse at the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses have not been made public, an investigator told a survivor the AG's office focused on the church's response to allegations, rather than naming individual perpetrators.

The results of a Massachusetts attorney general's investigation into child sexual abuse at the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester dioceses have never been made public. The AG's office said it needs court approval to release the report. In other states, investigations like this have led to changes in the law and validation for survivors.