The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has demonstrated the process by which a pope might step down and be replaced.

I am not sure how many of the events that have unfolded in Rome over the past 35 years will make it into the history books. Certainly, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, the first pontiff to do so in six centuries,

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has demonstrated the process by which a pope might step down and be replaced.

Francis' hospital stay is raising questions about what happens if he loses consciousness for a prolonged period, or whether he might follow in Pope Benedict XVI's footsteps and resign.

Pope Francis’ hospital stay is raising obvious questions about what happens if he loses consciousness for a prolonged period, or whether he might follow in Pope Benedict XVI’s footsteps and resign if he becomes unable to lead.

People in Rome and the Vatican are relying on their faith as they cope with the daily anxiety waiting to hear about the pope’s health.

Gandhi’s Scant Garb Bars Audience with Pope.” So read the headline of a New York Times report, from December 13, 1931, that the Vatican had cancelled a meeting between Pius XI and “the Indian nationalist leader” because the Pope thought he might be criticized “if he received the visitor in his usual scanty clothing.

Concerns over Pope Francis' health have mounted in recent years as have questions about his succession. Here's what we know.

Francis' hospital stay is raising questions about what happens if he loses consciousness for a prolonged period, or whether he might follow in Pope Benedict XVI's footsteps and resign.

The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has demonstrated the process by which a pope might step down and be replaced.

The Vatican says Pope Francis, who is hospitalized in critical condition with double pneumonia, was well enough to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin.