The church officially recognizes St. Peter, the first pope, as the longest-serving, with at least 34 years. However, many ...

Cardinals don’t campaign to be the next pope, but there are always those among them that are considered favorites or potential frontrunners to be named the next pontiff heading into the papal enclave.

As the Vatican prepares for a new Pope, here's a look at how popes are chosen, who can be elected, and how the papacy has ...

At last count there were 252 cardinals, of whom 141 were eligible to vote in a papal conclave (though there is no definitive ...

To salvage the electoral system from internal and external chaos, Pope Nicholas II decreed in 1059 that popes should be selected by men of the cloth – namely, cardinal-bishops. Up to then ...

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, has passed away, marking the start of a significant transition in the ...