A change in popes - through death or resignation - is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of the global Catholic Church...

He was a pope who understood the power of a simple touch: caressing the deformed head of a man in St. Peter's Square, washing the feet of a Muslim prisoner, sinking to his hands and knees to implore...

The Vatican said Monday the cause of Francis' death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure. It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major...

The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they're...

The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his successor begins. They involve the certification of death and public...

Pope Francis died Monday, the Vatican announced, history's first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with...

Key events in the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis and died on Monday: Dec. 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five...

Pope Francis died Monday morning, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced. "At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire...

Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter's Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild...

Journalist Ksenia Lutskina served only half of her eight-year prison sentence in Belarus after being convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government. She was pardoned after she kept fainting...