The decision was made at the Fifth General Congregation, held on Monday morning in the Vatican's Synod Hall. The conclave will take place in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, which will remain closed to visitors during those days.
As he prepares to enter the seclusion of a conclave to elect a new pope, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, reflects on diversity and sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis was honored with a funeral Mass Saturday morning in the Vatican City's St. Peter's Square. These are some of the images that captured the grief of those mourning him around the world.
Shlissel challah is a special loaf baked the first sabbath after Passover. We trace the modern route by which the bread has spread beyond the ultra-orthodox world to everyday Jewish bakers.
Pope Francis's funeral begins in Vatican City at 4 a.m. ET on Saturday and will end with his burial in Rome. Here's what to know about the day's events — and how Francis is breaking with tradition.
The conclave to select a new pope will be sharply different from the body that chose Francis in 2013. Experts say that could make it harder to predict what the conclave will do.
Pope Francis called to check in on a Christian congregation in Gaza sheltering at their church almost every night since the Gaza war began. "Today we feel like we are orphans," a spokesperson says.
In the weeks that follow the passing of a pontiff, the city of Rome, and the Vatican in particular, comes alive with discussions over which man is best suited to next lead the church.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis died Monday, the day after Easter, at the age of 88. As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he was the first Latin American pontiff, the first non-European pope in more than a millennium, and he left behind a legacy of service, unity, and compassion.
