Simply put, a conclave is the assembly of cardinals that elects a pope. The word itself comes from the Latin "com" and "clavis," meaning "together" and "key," respectively – highlighting the absolute, ...

Pope Francis's death at the age of 88 means the Catholic Church must choose a new leader. Here's how cardinals elect the next pontiff at the conclave.

Two cardinals, Michael Czerny and Chibly Langlois, sat down with ABC News to discuss the challenges facing the church that the new pope will have to face.

Catholic cardinals are gathering at the Vatican to elect the successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21. Voting will take place in the Sistine Chapel, with ballots continuing in succession until ...

But understanding their makeup in geographic terms can help explain some of their priorities as they open the conclave Wednesday to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church. A ...

The question facing the conclave is whether the cardinals want to continue in the direction set by Pope Francis.

The first ballot will be cast Wednesday evening (Vatican time), May 7, according to Vatican News. Voting will then happen four times daily over the following days, twice in the morning and twice in ...

However, for centuries, popes have only been chosen from among the Catholic cardinals, the church's most senior officials. The conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel, behind sealed doors.

For the first time, the majority of cardinals to choose a pope are not from Europe, as Catholic demographics shift. But Europe remains the largest source of cardinals.

ABC7's Liz Nagy spent almost two weeks reporting from the Vatican as the Catholic Church elected Pope Leo XIV as its next leader. Nagy and an ABC7 crew were sent out to cover the papal conclave. They ...

In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the Catholic Church’s history. It's also ...

The atmosphere in the Eternal City was electric.