While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not ...

Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has held his title for 12 years. What to know about the Jesuit.

A scholar of global Catholicism writes how Francis has opened the church to the outside world in ways no pope had done before ...

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on a chilly, rainy evening to pray for an ailing Pope Francis.

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, ...

Pope Francis continued his recovery from pneumonia Tuesday as the Vatican set in motion a nightly marathon of prayers from ...

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of ...

Pope Francis remains critical after severe bronchitis and double pneumonia. As concerns grow, speculation rises over his ...

With uncertainty on Pope Francis's health, a list of cardinals emerged ready to succeed him. The Catholic Church has an ...

Pope Francis remained in critical condition as the Vatican called senior church officials in Rome to a special saying of the ...