Plumes of white smoke streaming from a Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday signaled that a new leader of the Roman Catholic ...

African outreach was among Pope Francis' legacies, observers say, with numerous visits and a message of mercy inspiring ...

As cardinals prepare for the largest papal conclave in history, battle lines are being drawn over the direction of the church ...

First, those who embrace Pope Francis’ wide-ranging, modernising changes in the Catholic church. The reform-minded pope made ...

Catholic Church approaches pivotal conclave with 3 African cardinals among leading pope candidates, reflecting shifting ...

With at least three African cardinals in the running to become the next Pope, African Catholics are excited, but remain ...

One in 5 of the world’s Catholics now live in Africa, and African cardinals will be key in determining Francis’s successor at ...

Sister Ngalula, a Congolese thelogian, says more women should lead the Catholic Church ...

Catholic Church leaders in Africa remember Francis as a pontiff who kept the continent close to his heart, advocating for its ...

While an African pope would be a historically stunning development, just one of the drawbacks is that no African cardinal holds a major office in the Vatican.

The African continent is home to one-fifth of the world's Catholics. Many are hoping the next pope will come from their ...