African outreach was among Pope Francis' legacies, observers say, with numerous visits and a message of mercy inspiring ...

As cardinals prepare for the largest papal conclave in history, battle lines are being drawn over the direction of the church ...

Will the adage 'fat pope, thin pope' bear out as cardinals pick a successor to Pope Francis in the May 7 conclave?

Hollywood and the media love intrigue. And the interregnum in the Catholic Church provides much fodder for an institution ...

Cardinals electing a new pope have some fundamental questions to weigh, beyond whether to give the Catholic Church its first ...

First, those who embrace Pope Francis’ wide-ranging, modernising changes in the Catholic church. The reform-minded pope made it possible to advance a new church culture that respected the voice and ...

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history.

The church has never elected an African pope in its modern history. If it did, it would likely indicate a continuing trend of ...

“If the Catholic Church wants to survive in this fast-changing world, it needs to change and the pope needs to lead that way, ...

Catholic Church leaders in Africa remember Francis as a pontiff who kept the continent close to his heart, advocating for its ...

Nowhere in the world is the Roman Catholic Church growing faster than in Africa, a continent Francis showered with attention.

As cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel starting May 7 to select a new pope, they’re not just choosing a spiritual ...