Pope Francis’s down-to-earth style has become a trademark of his papacy. New rules for papal burials are another step to seal ...

Mandarin Chinese is considered the world's most spoken language, with nearly one billion speakers, ahead of Spanish and ...

After the funeral of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the pope asked that the protocols for papal funerals be revised to evoke ...

Pope Francis approves new papal funeral rites for when he dies to simplify rituals, allow for burial outside the Vatican ...

ANALYSIS: The revisions reflect Francis’ desire to simplify the rites and, in some instances, to dispense with centuries-old ...

Since his 2013 election, Francis has eschewed the pomp often associated with the papacy to emphasize his role as the bishop ...

The 87-year-old pontiff – who turns 88 next month – enacted a new set of liturgical rites aimed at modernizing the Catholic ...

Pope Francis denounces the hypocrisy of some countries “where there is much talk of peace” but “the highest yielding ...

Pope Francis has approved new rites for his own funeral for when he dies to simplify rituals and be buried outside the Vatican.

Pope Francis has revised the papal funeral rites, simplifying the rituals to reflect his role as a mere bishop. The changes ...

After threatening to excommunicate two Peruvian laypeople suing a papal envoy, Pope Francis apparently met with the pair over ...