The continued chaos, as well as cardinals’ lengthy negotiations and ongoing external influences, pushed Pope Gregory X to act. In 1274, he instituted the decree “Ubi periculum.” The first words of the ...

Based on Robert Harris’s thriller, “Conclave” unfolds like a real potboiler, particularly since there are questions about the ...

INNOVATION ON AN INTERNATIONAL STAGE: U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick (left) sits ...

La Croix: The pope is about to publish an encyclical on the Sacred Heart. What is this devotion about? Father Etienne Kern: The devotion to the Sacred Heart is a spirituality entirely focused on ...

Each church is distinct and autonomous, but all share a history and beliefs with the Church of England. The Anglican ...

Justin Welby’s predecessors have at times met gruesome fates — being stabbed or burned at the stake — but over 16 centuries ...

What do Julius Caesar, Pope Gregory XII and the Hebrew calendar have to do with one another? It’s a centuries long story that ...

Eventually, Mongolia did just that in 1241. The papal relationship with the Mongols improved over time, however. Pope Gregory ...

I'm a historian of the medieval papacy and editor of the forthcoming three volumes of the Cambridge History of the Papacy. So ...

Papal elections aren't always as dramatic as "Conclave," a new film starring Ralph Fiennes, but the history behind the process is.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans will submit his retirement papers Tuesday as he turns 75. His retirement comes ...