The papal conclave will commence in May, when the cardinals will meet at St. Peter's Basilica and pray for the wisdom to select the next pope.

For nearly 180 years, papal conclaves have chosen a new pope in three to five days. In centuries past, they've taken a lot ...

A Catholic scholar explains every step of the conclave process that will determine the successor to the late Pope Francis.

Pope Francis, who presided over the Roman Catholic Church and its estimated 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, died April 21 ...

What will the new Pope be called? Immediately after accepting the election, the new Supreme Pontiff will be asked what name ...

Cardinals attend Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, before they enter the conclave to decide who the next pope will be, on March ...

The shortest conclave ever recorded lasted only a few hours (about 10) and took place on the night between October 31 and November 1, 1503. After the death of Pius III, the cardinals gathered and ...

Here is the complete list of 266 Popes from the past to present. Most recently, Pope Francis led the Catholic Church from ...

Pope Francis became the church’s 266th in 2013 when the papal conclave elected him after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI ...

Conclave to select new Pope to include Vatican lock-in, days of speeches and puffs of smoke - The method the Catholic Church ...

The pope’s funeral should take place “between the fourth and ... The ballot itself is secret and was introduced on 1621 by ...