The changes Francis brought to the papacy were more than skin deep. He opened the church to the outside world in ways none of ...

Despite his condition, Pope Francis has upheld a tradition he began at the start of the war in Gaza, making nightly calls to ...

Pope Francis "rested well throughout the night" in the hospital, the Vatican says, and even met with Vatican officials to ...

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

COMMENTARY: However, vigils for popes, like the current one for Pope Francis, have been the exception, not the rule.

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

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

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

In the District, crowds have been gathering at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to pray for Pope Francis as he battles double pneumonia.

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

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