Secret Conclave Exposé Reveals Who Almost Beat Leo

The papal conclave was moving toward crowning someone else Pope—until a turn of support vaulted Leo XIV to the top, a dramatic behind-the-scenes report has revealed. Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, claimed over 40 votes from the 133 cardinals in the first round of voting after the conclave began on Wednesday, according to an exposé on the process in The Wall Street Journal. His support was bolstered by Italian cardinals, who made up the largest voting bloc of a