Pope Francis had expressed the desire to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Articles on Vatican
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Today’s religious identities have more to do with political decisions made centuries ago than with personal faith.
The pope leads the Catholic Church, but some 2,000 other people work at the Holy See and city-state.
Women’s work may not have been glamorous, but it was vital to the workings of the pope’s court and surrounding city.
A scholar of global Catholicism writes how Francis has opened the church to the outside world in ways no pope had done before.
Luce carries symbols that have been associated with pilgrimage in Europe since the 12th century, particularly with the shrine of St. James in northwestern Spain.
The conclave, shrouded in centuries-old tradition and secrecy, stands as one of the most captivating rituals in the Catholic Church.
The conclave system may seem dramatic, but it was developed after centuries of outside interference and looting.
Women’s formal involvement in bishops’ synods has grown slowly over the decades. Even when they were excluded, Catholic women found ways to learn about proceedings – and weigh in, often critically.
The Preacher to the Papal Household must always be a Capuchin monk
Italian priest Padre Pio was one of the world’s most prayed-to saints in recent times. As Pio’s generation ages, the Catholic Church is turning to Carlo Acutis to appeal to a new demographic.
The use of sport as an evangelical tool is not new for the Catholic Church. Pope Pius X welcomed athletes in 1905 for the first international gymnastics competition in the Vatican gardens.
A vision of Jesus – or just some burnt bread? It will now be much harder for a Catholic apparition to be declared ‘supernatural’. Here’s why.
In ancient Rome, male followers of the goddess Cybele, known as Galli, some of whom surgically removed their testicles, were often considered feminine.
Between 1939 and 1945, Pope Pius XII put the interests of the Catholic Church in Germany before the fate of European Jews.
Historically, many Christians got tattoos around Holy Week − usually a cross − to honor Christ’s martyrdom.
When President Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2006, church figures supported him. Violent repression after the 2018 protests has soured the relationship and made clergy targets for intimidation.
Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality is attempting to move the church toward a more dialogue-based model of authority, a scholar of Catholicism explains.
Divisions and tensions in the global church are affecting the church in Africa.
As the Synod of Bishops meets in Rome, a Catholic theologian explains the preparations that went into the consultative process and what it says about Pope Francis’ vision for the future church.
Top contributors
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Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor of Public Theology and Director of The Bernardin Center, Catholic Theological Union
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Professor Emerita of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
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Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor in Historical & Contemporary Ecclesiology, Trinity College Dublin
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Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
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Professor of History, Australian Catholic University
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Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University
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Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University
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Associate Professor of Intellectual Heritage, Temple University
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Gudorf Chair in Catholic Intellectual Traditions, University of Dayton
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Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
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President, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Research Associate in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Loughborough University
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Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross