"It's a very old word, antedates the Catholic religion." It wasn't until the Middle Ages that the word conclave came into regular use to describe papal elections.

VATICAN CITY - The papacy, one of the world’s oldest religious offices, has a history that stretches back more than 2,000 years, with over 260 popes having led the Catholic Church since the time ...

A groundbreaking Catholic archive center will soon make its home in Ohio. The Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC) Heritage Center in Cleveland will document the history of an oft-ignored ...

Francis and Benedict XVI were both revealed in the evening of the conclave’s second day, while John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope of modern times, was selected on the third day in 1978.

Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV. Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s ...

Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV Associated Press Thursday, May 8, 2025 1:30 p.m. | Thursday, May 8, 2025 1:30 p.m. Go Ad-Free Today!

Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV May 8, 2025 by NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press | Updated May 8, 2025 at 1:06 p.m.

Locally, the Catholic Diocese of Memphis had the following to say on the election of Pope Leo XIV: "Our new Pope is a native of Chicago, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, the first American Pope in history.