When a pope dies, after the camerlengo certifies the passing, the pope's ring is removed and destroyed to mark the end of his ...

Pope Francis, 88, remains in hospital battling double pneumonia, with his condition described as "critical" by the Vatican.

Time-honored rituals, drafted and refined over centuries, allow time for mourning and provide order at a dramatic moment of ...

The Catholic Church is almost 2,000 years old, and over the centuries, the protocol for papal funerals has been codified and ...

The Pope's death is a carefully orchestrated event, with a set of procedures that must be followed before a new Pontiff is ...