The pope is also head of the Vatican City state, and indirectly oversees the Vatican Museums. The papal art collection traces its origins to 1506, with the acquisition of one of its most famous ...

Visitors have been barred from the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave of cardinals will vote to elect the next pope.

Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S. leader of the Catholic Church, faces major challenges following his unexpected election. Key issues include budget deficits, a faith crisis in Europe, and debates on ...

But those who relished the Vatican as a refuge from the modern world were appalled. One group accused him of “heretic propositions”, and a fellow cardinal called his papacy a “catastrophe”.

one that will leave as lasting a mark as his revisioning of the Church's role in the modern world. "He turned the Vatican inside out like a sock," said Franca Giansoldati, Vatican correspondent ...