Habemus Papam: Pope Francis’ Election as a Religious Media Event

The chapter explores the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Pope Francis as media events in the Italian context. The study focuses on a content analysis of four Italian newspapers with different political biases, and this chapter also incorporates an analysis of national television and radio news. The analysis highlights three common themes that characterize these media events: a framing of the Pope as a media focus more than as the leader of the Church, a tendency to include elements of popular religiosity and an emphasis on the Italian origins of Pope Francis. The resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of Francis are relevant for the global understanding of how religious events are mediated. The attention that the Italian media gave to the Vatican during these events is important also in order to understand the current status and the media focus of Pope Francis.