If the pontiff was to pass, a complicated weeks-long process begins to appoint a successor. Here, we break down what will ...

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like ...

THE Pope could resign if his health gets any worse, according to a cardinal, to become the second in a row to shrug the papal ...

Francis, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory infection in his youth and has been plagued by ailing health recently, last ...

French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline called for prayers to be said for Pope Francis during a press conference in the Vatican on ...

Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia after being hospitalised last week. The Vatican said the 88-year-old's ...

Pope Francis is continuing his recovery from pneumonia. The Vatican said he got out of bed to eat breakfast Thursday morning ...

It comes as the pope is reportedly rushing to tie up loose ends and secure his legacy ahead of the race to succeed him. It ...

The method the Catholic Church uses to select their leader has remained virtually unchanged for the last 800 years ...

The process of electing a new pope follows rules and rituals that have been followed, and sometimes tweaked, since the 13th ...

THE Pope is in a stable condition in hospital and blood tests have shown a “slight improvement” in his condition, doctors ...