The history of the papacy is filled with unusual, dramatic events. From a pope put on trial after death to a resignation that broke a 600-year tradition, the Vatican’s past is anything but predictable ...

The proclamation of the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis in December 2020 coincided with the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the universal Church by Blessed Pius IX ...

Of those popes, Francis has the ninth-longest papacy so far.Over the past 200 years, the longest papacy reign was that of Pope Pius IX, who served over 31 years from 1846 to 1878. The shortest was ...