Armor like a knight on horseback. A helmet with bright-colored plumes sticking out. Wide blue and gold-striped pants that can seem almost clown-like. The Swiss Guard, the pope’s iconic bodyguards, ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — “Conclave” the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for ...

Here are some facts about conclaves past, derived from historical studies including Miles Pattenden's “Electing the Pope in Early Modern Italy, 1450–1700,” and interviews with experts including Elena ...

WASHINGTON — As cardinals begin a conclave to elect the next pope, some are wondering if they could put forward the first American to hold the highest position in the Catholic church. The Vatican set ...

Even in death, Pope Francis remained a trailblazer — becoming the only pontiff to open, but not close, the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in what has become a fateful symbol of his papal legacy.