With the beginning of the Papal Conclave on May 7, 1.4 billion Catholics across the world are waiting to see who the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church will be.

As the Catholic Church prepares to elect its next spiritual leader, here’s a detailed look at the centuries-old ritual of the papal conclave, an event marked by history, secrecy, and sacred tradition.

Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso was ruled out as an elector on Jan. 25 of this year, the day he turned 80, according to the yearbook. But that birthday was fake.

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 ...

With cardinals from Africa, Asia and even East Timor now among the electors, this conclave could mark a turning point for a ...

On Wednesday, 133 cardinal electors will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church. What on ...

With nudges and winks, governments are trying to influence who becomes the next pope. Whether they’ll succeed is up to 133 ...

Pope Francis’ former point man on migrants has drawn criticism with comments in the context of the African continent being ...

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

There will be only one ballot on Wednesday. Thereafter, the cardinals can vote as many as four times a day. Black smoke from ...

The announcement “Habemus Papam” — “We have a pope” — from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica is followed first by the ...

The longest papal election in the history of the Church took place from 1268 to 1271 CE. It involved a clash between two ...