The leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics addressed past scandals and embraced migrants, the poor and gay and lesbian faithful. Some wished he’d gone further.

On Easter Monday, many people woke up to the news that Pope Francis had passed away at the age of 88. The Vatican’s Health Department confirmed the pontiff died of a stroke and heart failure.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, sent a letter to all cardinals — electors and non — on ...

The death of a pope, and the election of a new pontiff, is adorned with high ritual and elaborate ceremony. For more about how the Catholic Church will celebrate and mourn Pope Francis, and what comes ...

COMMENTARY: I think of his humor, his humility, and his deep, unwavering attentiveness to those before him. More than ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you “enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.” ...

The Rev. Mike Morin, the pastor of Lincoln's Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, spent five days in the hospital after a car ...

DETROIT – On this Easter Monday, Catholics from around Metro Detroit are paying tribute to the late pontiff, also known as ...

But Duke theology professor Peter Casarella says what Francis will be most remembered for is his humility and the example he ...

After Pope Francis’ funeral, 135 cardinals will gather for a conclave to elect a new pope. The traditions include oaths of secrecy, paper ballots and white smoke from a chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

In his will, Pope Francis asked for a simple burial, with his tomb only bearing the inscription, "Franciscus." ...

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America and the church’s 266th leader, died Monday morning at the age of 88 after suffering a cerebral stroke that put him into a ...