When a pope dies, after the camerlengo certifies the passing, the pope's ring is removed and destroyed to mark the end of his ...

The Vatican's succession process to elect a new pope is one filled with ancient tradition and custom. Pope Frances has ...

The death of a sitting pope initiates a profound period of mourning and transition within the Roman Catholic Church, marked ...

The Catholic Church is almost 2,000 years old, and over the centuries, the protocol for papal funerals has been codified and ...

Francis, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory infection in his youth and has been plagued by ailing health recently, last ...

With Pope Francis’ health in question, speculation grows about how the Catholic Church would elect his successor.

The Pope has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia but is in a "good mood", the Vatican has said. It comes after it cancelled Pope Francis's weekend engagements. In a statement, the Vatican said ...