With all eyes now on the Vatican after Pope Francis' death, here's a look at the conclave and its role in electing the next head of the Catholic Church. Francis died at age 88 and was remembered ...

The goal of a Vatican conclave is to choose a new pope. That’s what happened in May when Robert Prevost was chosen to become ...

The conclave has begun. The College of Cardinals has started the process of selecting a new leader of the Catholic Church. The first vote is expected tonight, and with no consensus as to a ...

Following the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has chosen a date to elect its new leader, in a process virtually unchanged in 800 years. The system is known as the ‘Papal Conclave ...

When does a papal conclave take place? A papal conclave typically takes place 15 to 20 days after a pope's death. In the event of a pope's abdication, which is historically rare for the church but ...

Pink smoke rises in front of St. Peter’s Dome during a protest by the Women’s Ordination Conference, calling for full equality for women in the Catholic Church on the first day of the conclave ...

The shortest conclave ever. Before 1274, there were times when a pope was elected the same day as the death of his predecessor.After that, however, the church decided to wait at least 10 days ...

The conclave to elect Pope Gregory was the longest conclave in the history of the Catholic Church. “Conclave” the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of ...

The 16th century church, built over the traditional tomb of the apostle St. Peter, is one of the largest Catholic basilicas in the world and is the centerpiece of Vatican City, headquarters of the ...

In the 13th century, it took almost three years — 1,006 days to be exact — to choose Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave in the Catholic Church’s history.

But understanding their makeup in geographic terms can help explain some of their priorities as they open the conclave Wednesday to choose a new leader of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church.