“The history of mankind is carried on the back of a horse” is a saying that holds true for the Roman Empire, which expanded ...

Pope Francis' funeral rites, like those for any pope or any Christian, are meant to "reinforce the hope and witness to the faith" that those who have been baptized in Christ "will rise with him to new ...

The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his ...

Each elector swears an oath to protect the church’s freedom and the secrecy of the conclave. As the last oath is complete, ...

Pope Francis had expressed the desire to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in Rome.