Everyone from cooks to translators to elevator operators took an oath of secrecy at the Vatican on Monday — under threat of automatic excommunication — to prepare for this week's conclave.

After 38 days in hospital battling double pneumonia almost entirely out of sight, Pope Francis made his first public appearance on Sunday since February 14 and returned to the Vatican. But with ...

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the death of Pope Francis for Wednesday, April 23. For the latest news, view our story for Thursday, April 24. A massive crowd waiting to view the ...

Pope Francis' death leaves behind a legacy that some view as progressive in the context of the history of the Catholic Church, and polls conducted during his tenure show U.S. Catholics had a ...

The Catholic Church's cardinal electors entered the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to choose a successor to Pope Francis, as the 2025 papal conclave begins.

Why the Catholic Church's future is hard to predict, according to a Vatican expert Updated April 22, 2025 1:33 PM ET Originally published April 22, 2025 4:17 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious. And there ...

Yet he put his stamp on the future of the church, said Gaya Gupta in The Washington Post.He appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote for his successor, and they are the most ...