Pope Francis marked multiple firsts for the papacy, becoming the first Latin American pope and the first from the Southern Hemisphere when elected in 2013. He was also the first head of the Roman ...

The Catholic church faces a fundamental question as it prepares to elect a new pope. That is, whether to go back to a monarchical papacy with its pomp and pageantry, or to build on the momentum begun ...

KAMPALA, Uganda -- Pope Francis travels Sunday to Central African Republic, making the final stop of his first trip to Africa in a country where violence between Christian and Muslim militants has ...

KAMPALA, Uganda — If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history. Catholic Africans think it is a long shot, though some are cautiously optimistic that ...

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Catholic Church leaders in Africa remember Pope Francis as a pontiff who kept the continent close to his heart, advocating for its poor and the marginalized. As Catholics’ ...

The Catholic Church's conclave to select the next pope will begin May 7, with some wondering if the church will continue down the path of non-European pontiffs by electing an African pope. This ...

Pope Francis kisses the feet of South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar on April 11, 2019. (Credit: Vatican Media.) Listen YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – After his death, the Church ...

Cathedral staff set up an image of Pope Francis inside The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, informally known as Westminster Cathedral, in central London on April 21, 2025, following ...

If the next pope is from sub-Saharan Africa, he would be the first in Catholic Church history. Catholic Africans think it is a long shot, though some are cautiously optimistic that Pope Francis’ ...