Pope Francis's death at the age of 88 means the Catholic Church must choose a new leader. Here's how cardinals elect the next pontiff at the conclave.

Simply put, a conclave is the assembly of cardinals that elects a pope. The word itself comes from the Latin "com" and "clavis," meaning "together" and "key," respectively – highlighting the absolute, ...

On the second day of the conclave at the Vatican, the cardinal electors chose Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new pope, Leo XIV.

For the first time, the majority of cardinals to choose a pope are not from Europe, as Catholic demographics shift. But Europe remains the largest source of cardinals.

Two cardinals, Michael Czerny and Chibly Langlois, sat down with ABC News to discuss the challenges facing the church that the new pope will have to face.

The papal conclave, the secretive election process to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, commenced on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump quickly reacted to the appointment of the first American pope on Thursday, May 8. Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, won the secretive conc ...

The Chicago-born pontiff is the first American to lead the Catholic Church, and while his positions on some of the church’s hot-button issues remain unclear, he has signaled continuity with his ...

the Catholic Church is looking to the future. The papal conclave is set to begin Wednesday afternoon in Rome, with 133 cardinal electors tasked with choosing Francis' successor. The question now t ...

Papal conclave ballots have been burned to maintain secrecy for centuries. Ballot smoke has been used to announce a decision since 1914.

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. It's also ...

The term conclave refers to a private meeting or secret assembly, especially a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope, according to merriam-webster.com.