Deepening unity among Catholics will be the greatest challenge facing the next pope, who will be elected as early as ...

And they will determine whether the adage "fat pope, thin pope" holds true or whether the next leader of the Catholic Church ...

Scholars say the next pope will contend with climate change and rising authoritarianism as well as shifting demographics and ...

Pope Francis' death set off a series of traditions that culminates in a vote for his successor. Here are some of the possible ...

Contenders for pope emerge from the U.S., Asia, and Africa—raising the chance of a non-European successor to Francis.

The United States is the home country for 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. That’s more than any ...

African outreach was among Pope Francis' legacies, observers say, with numerous visits and a message of mercy inspiring ...

Experts say there isn’t a single front-runner, but several names have been cited as indications of the direction the Roman ...

Cardinals enter a conclave on Wednesday to choose a new pope, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

There are currently 135 cardinals who are under age 80 and eligible to vote in the conclave, hailing from 71 different ...

While there are a few cardinals seen as front-runners to succeed Pope Francis -- two often mentioned are Italian Cardinal ...