Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has held his title for 12 years. What to know about the Jesuit.

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

A scholar of global Catholicism writes how Francis has opened the church to the outside world in ways no pope had done before ...

Catholic cardinals gathered in Rome will offer a nightly rosary for Pope Francis as the pontiff remains hospitalized in ...

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on a chilly, rainy evening to pray for an ailing Pope Francis.

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, ...

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of ...

Pope Francis continued his recovery from pneumonia Tuesday as the Vatican set in motion a nightly marathon of prayers from ...

Pope Francis remained in critical condition as the Vatican called senior church officials in Rome to a special saying of the ...

Pope Francis is in critical condition at Gemelli Hospital in Rome with double pneumonia and kidney failure — and Catholics ...

Pope Francis' health concerns include respiratory problems, a possible kidney infection, anemia, and now, pneumonia in both lungs.