Robert Prevost has been elected the first North American pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. After he was unveiled as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he spoke to huge crowds from ...

White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel just after 6 p.m. Vatican time (noon ET) on Thursday, May 8, signaling to the world that a new pope had been selected. The papal conclave to elect Pope ...

Swiss soldiers had already been picked to guard the pope in 1506 by Pope Julius II, known as the “Warrior Pope.” He chose them because the Swiss were renowned fighters throughout Europe then.

Exit tourists. Enter cardinals. The Vatican has closed the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect the next pope after the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at age 88.