Since the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, the Italian press has been gripped by a fervor unmatched elsewhere in the world. In Italy, the relationship with the papacy is intimate, though it is the result of a contentious history: The unification of the country in 1871 succeeded by wresting the last territories and capital from the pontiffs. Of the 266 popes of the Catholic Church, 213 have been Italian. The transitional period leading to the conclave, which is set to begin on Wednesday, May 7, has had a thrilling effect on public opinion in Italy, while the country's political news, usually rich in twists and controversies, remains stagnant.

Not a day goes by without the major newspapers dedicating special pages to the smallest details of the ongoing process, multiplying articles and speculating on the chances of this or that Italian cardinal becoming pope. Without openly campaigning, many highlight national ecclesiastical figures. Il Messagero, a major Roman daily, devoted an enthusiastic portrait on Monday, April 28, to Cardinal Fernando Filoni, 79, noting that the former apostolic nuncio (or papal ambassador) in Iraq at the twilight of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship "managed to navigate global challenges with courage and transparency." In the daily La Stampa, the Vatican's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin was in the spotlight two days later, described as "the great architect of Vatican diplomacy" and praised for concluding the Holy See's agreement with Beijing.

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