In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI tried reconciliation with China, which required its bishops to be loyal to the country’s government rather than to Rome. He chose Parolin, who was then an archbishop, to ...

Even though cardinals don’t campaign for the job of pope, there are always front-runners going into a conclave to choose the ...

At private dinners and at formal gatherings of cardinals, talk among church leaders of who will next lead the church has certainly already begun.

Here is a selection of possible contenders, in no particular order. The list will be updated as cardinals continue their ...

Leading the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church. Location: Vatican City. There are no official candidates for the papacy, but ...

Cardinals attend a Mass presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on the second of nine ...