Catholicism

Because the current pope’s status is not public, this page explains the ordinary, repeatable process the Catholic Church uses to elect a new pope. If a papal vacancy occurs in...

Pope Leo XIV is the first pope in the Society of Jesus and the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church. His first words to the world after his election emphasized peace...

The question of who is the youngest saint in the Catholic church reflects broader interest in how sanctity is recognized and how age intersects with holiness. Canonization is a...

Pope Francis chose his name to honor St. Francis of Assisi, but why did Pope Leo choose the name Leo, and what does a papal name signify? A papal name, or regnal name, is a titl...

The question who can be the next pope begins with the basic requirements for the bishop of Rome. Canon law requires the pope to be a baptized male Catholic; in practice, every p...

There could be an American pope, because canon law does not bar nationality, and the election process is open to any baptized male Catholic. In practice, however, every pope sin...

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936, became the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on 13 March 2013. As the first Jesui...