From the longest and shortest elections to the origin of the required vow of secrecy, here are some facts about the centuries ...

If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history. Catholic Africans think it is ...

In the coming days plumes of black or white smoke will rise from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signaling the voting at ...

During the seating there's no communication with the outside world on the proceedings, except for the smoke signals from the ...

Speculation surrounding a conclave to elect a pope is a time-honored tradition. But for the impending conclave following ...

After every two rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel, the ballots of the cardinals are burned in a special furnace to ...

Confusion surrounding the birthdate of Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo, a conservative cardinal from Burkina Faso, may cost him his spot at the upcoming papal conclave. Only cardinals under the age of 80 ...

The upcoming papal conclave is scheduled to commence on May 7. The College of Cardinals are set to gather in Vatican City to ...

There are no official candidates for the papacy, but some cardinals are considered “papabile,” or possessing the ...

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—All but four of the 135 cardinals who are eligible to enter the conclave May 7 to vote for a new pope had ...