With 135 cardinals eligible to vote, the coming conclave is set to be the largest in the history of the Catholic Church and one of the most unpredictable in decades.

The conclave to elect Pope Francis‘ successor will start on May 7, the Vatican said on Monday following a closed-door meeting of cardinals at the Vatican, the first since Francis’ funeral on Saturday.

Five of the more conservative U.S. cardinals were initially skeptical of Robert Prevost, whom they viewed as a more moderate ...

Cumberbatch will star in and produce White Smoke, a TV series that missed a real opportunity by not calling itself "Pontiff ...

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Three conclaves set the stage for the moment when Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, stunning the world as the first U.S.-born pontiff elected in ...

Simony, properly defined by the Catholic Church as the selling of ecclesiastical offices and positions, has been designated as a grave sin since approximately 300 C.E. and can merit excommunication ...

“Conclave” the movie provides a gripping, if fictional, behind-the-scenes look inside the secretive election of a new pope. But last year’s real-life conclave was just as dramatic, with plenty of plot ...

(RNS) — Two new books reveal insight around the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, tracing the alliances, rivalries and ...