Senior Italian Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said Tuesday that Pope Francis's current health problems do not warrant talk of him resigning as head of the Catholic Church. "It seems to me that there is no reason to speak of resignation,

The Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, but not when he is sick

Pope Francis is continuing his recovery from pneumonia. That is after doctors reported a slight improvement in his condition, which nevertheless remains critical.

A scholar of global Catholicism writes how Francis has opened the church to the outside world in ways no pope had done before.

Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, has held his title for 12 years. What to know about the Jesuit.

And there are no specific norms outlining what happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church if a pope becomes totally incapacitated. As a result, even though Pope Francis remains hospitalized ...

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis continued his treatment for pneumonia Tuesday as the Vatican set in motion a nightly marathon of prayers from “his house” and allies cheered him on from afar in hopes that the 88-year-old would recover. The Vatican’s typically brief morning update said: “The pope slept well, all night.”

While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious.