For those (arch)dioceses that do not mark today as the Ascension, the liturgical calendar allows celebration of the optional ...

Since the Middle Ages, the Holy See has positioned itself as the preeminent mediator for international conflicts regardless ...

"We pray that Pope Leo will lead us on that path of proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world," Archbishop Broglio said.

What the new pope’s name choice says about his future plans - Cardinal Robert Prevost spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican's powerful office of bishops ...

A conclave only begins to answer the question of who a pope will truly be.

After the traditional announcement of "Habemus Papam" – "We have a pope" – from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the new pontiff's baptismal name is revealed, followed by the all-important papal ...

The schism produced multiple papal contenders, the so-called antipopes, splitting the Catholic Church for nearly 40 years. The most prominent antipopes during the Western Schism were Clement VII, ...

The announcement “Habemus Papam” — “We have a pope” — from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica is followed first by the revelation of the new pontiff’s baptismal name, in Latin, followed by his papal ...

When the Catholic Church canonizes someone who died recently ... It was Francis who finally declared John XXIII a saint in 2013, canonizing him the following year, on the same day he canonized ...

which modernized the Catholic Church by renewing liturgy and theology and developing better relationships with other religions. Pope John XXIII died of cancer in 1963 and was canonized as a saint ...

Many churches shared messages on their websites, including St. John XXIII Catholic Church in Fort Myers. “We are saddened by the death of our Supreme Pontiff Francis,” the church said.

The church officially recognizes St. Peter, the first pope, as the longest-serving, with at least 34 years. However, many historians dispute that as impossible to verify, and instead say the ...