Concerns over Pope Francis' health have mounted in recent years as have questions about his succession. Here's what we know.

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like ...

Cardinals, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), are bishops and Vatican officials from all ...

Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church have been chosen at the Vatican in private gatherings known as conclaves or precisely ...

There is no age restriction for a Pope, but history shows they are usually chosen at an advanced age. Pope Francis was 76 ...

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

What is a Conclave? Process to select a Pope explained as Francis undergoes hospital treatment - The method the Catholic ...

the Catholic Church elects a new pope through an election by cardinals who meet in a conclave Pope Francis remained hospitalized Wednesday, five days after he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli ...

The papal "conclave" is intentionally shrouded in mystery — the term itself is Latin for "locked room" — but here are some of its rules and wrinkles: Candidates must be male and a baptized ...

It doesn’t help that the Oscar-nominated movie “Conclave” is in theaters and has made everyone an expert in the arcane rules and spectacular drama involved in a papal election. Or that ...