Pope Francis’s battle with double pneumonia is the most serious health complication the pontiff has suffered from since ...

The Vatican houses the central government of the Catholic Church and is also an independent city-state. The pope is both the ...

Francis has weighed in publicly before on ethics for end-of-life medical situations, but it is unknown whether he has made ...

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, LC, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State and president of the Pontifical ...

The Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, but not when he is ...

Raffaella Petrini has been appointed as the first female President of the Vatican City State becoming the governor of the ...

Many who know him said that Francis, driven by a sense of mission and a discipline born of his early training, essentially ...

ROME — Another woman is taking over a top management job in the Vatican : Sister Raffaella Petrini, an Italian nun, was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially ...

Despite his hospitalization, the pope has maintained a degree of governance and authorized the appointment of four new ...

From Vatican City to the Queen City, prayers are being said for the recovery of Pope Francis, who is currently in critical ...

Pope Francis had a "peaceful night" on Saturday, after recovering from a coughing fit. The news came in a Holy See press office update issued on the 88-year-old's condition Sunday morning.

Although certain doctrinal matters require the pope's direct attention, senior Catholic cardinals and other Vatican officials can make many of the daily decisions that govern the global Church.