The conclave is a time-honored process conducted in secrecy behind the locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

This method of preservation was adopted after an unexpected incident involving the embalming of Pope Pius XII in October 1958. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to ...

One of the first motorized popemobiles was a black Graham-Paige Type 837, gifted to Pope Pius XI in 1929. Since then, popemobiles have taken many different shapes and sizes. Pope Francis isn't the ...

13 Leos, and 12 popes to use Pius. It's single-digits from there on, with 44 out of 266 papal names used only once. Chief among the single-use names is Peter, being St. Peter, the first pope a ...

Typically, the conclave gathers to select the new pope 15 to 20 days after the death of a pope. The conclaves must start after the “ Novemdiales " period, Latin for “nine days,” in which a period of ...

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, has died. He was the Catholic church’s 266th pope, known for his compassion for the marginalized. The Vatican says Pope Francis died of a cerebral ...