The earthly remains of most of history’s 266 popes (plus some European royals) are buried in Rome—in dozens of crypts, ...

When the late Pope Francis first stepped on to the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica following his election 12 years ago, he ...

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

The stairs to the top of St Peter’s Dome were not constructed with tourists in mind. There are 491 steps and in some sections ...

What we think of as the Roman Empire lasted from 27 BCE to 476 AD. But the end of the Roman Empire is way more complicated than that, with some putting the official end at 1453, some at 1806, and some ...

Pope Francis — the first pontiff from the Americas, who clashed with traditional Catholics but was hailed as a reformer by progressives — died on Monday, a day after Easter, at age 88. The pope had ...

As we've been reporting, the Vatican released images of Pope Francis in an open casket dressed in red robes in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his home during his 12-year papacy. The images also show ...

About 200 of the 266 men to hold the title of pope hailed from within the borders of Italy. Here is a look at others, like Pope Francis, who didn't.

His papacy set many new precedents for the church, and his successor will be chosen from a group that he himself quietly transformed.

Pontiffs have been players in global affairs for hundreds of years. Pope Francis carved out his own form of global influence.

The canonisation of the first saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis, has been suspended due to Pope Francis' death ...

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, aged 88. Francis had been admitted to hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia.