Security experts say the operation to secure Pope Francis' funeral will be anything but uncomplicated and straightforward.

“Personal holiness is very important for the next pope,” Cardinal John Ribat told reporters as he exited Tuesday morning’s General Congregation. “He must be someone open and controlling ...

Pope Francis had a great sense of humor. When I met him once at the back of the papal plane, I cracked a joke with him that was a little bit close to the line. Luckily, he roared with laughter and ...

The pope was formally pronounced dead by the cardinal camerlengo — currently Irish-born American Kevin Farrell — who is one of the most important Vatican officials during the interregnum period.

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA is launching a prayer campaign to pray for the cardinals involved in the upcoming conclave as they prepare to elect the next pope. Monsignor Roger Landry ...

The reign of Pope Francis is over, and as the Catholic Church mourns his death, it is also looking to the future. On Monday — two days after the pope's funeral — the Vatican confirmed that a ...

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. AP The secret ballots are burned with an ...

The pope appointed the first woman leader of a department in the church’s central administration and the first female president of the office governing the Vatican City State. Francis also chose ...

Up to four secret ballots are conducted daily. Electors scrawl handwritten votes on slips of paper. A pope is chosen when he garners two-thirds of the vote. Each time no candidate earns a ...