Peter was the first pontiff of the Catholic church, and several popes have been considered "great" in the interim.

The death of Pope Francis sets into motion a series of rituals, some of which go back more than 2,000 years, including how to choose the new pope. Here's what happens next.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you “enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.” ...

Pope John Paul II waves to the cheering crowd on June 10, 1987, prior to a Mass in Krakow during his visit to Poland. (photo: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images) ...

VATICAN CITY, April 21 (Reuters) - Predict who the next pope will be at your peril ... after three successive non-Italian popes - John Paul II of Poland, Benedict of Germany and Francis of ...

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, who has Polish parents, said John Paul II changed Poland ... and in the Church, there was a belief that the future belonged to Marxism. And the Pope said that ...

Church bells ... body be returned to Poland. But the cardinals said no, and he was buried in the Vatican,” he said. “As with John Paul II, this is a case where the pope does not have the ...

Even though cardinals don’t campaign for the job, there are always front-runners going into a conclave to choose the next pope VATICAN ... outsiders: St. John Paul II (Poland); Benedict (Germany ...

Predict who the next pope will be at your peril ... to the Italians after three successive non-Italian popes - John Paul II of Poland, Benedict of Germany and Francis of Argentina.