Vatican City

Vice President Joe Biden will lead the delegation from the United States that is traveling to Vatican City for the installation of Pope Francis on Tuesday.  As a "self-proclaimed Catholic", the Obama administration probably thought he would be the logical choice. However, this latest news leaves many Catholic leaders scratching their heads - again.

The cardinals ended their first day in sequestration without a decision.  The smoke from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel was black - signaling that there wasn't a front runner. T

As the cardinals get ready to elect a new head of the Holy See and the Curia, there's been a lot of talk about the high-tech ways in which the Vatican is trying to prevent news leaks.  One of the devices in  the news is a Faraday Cage.  But, what exactly is a Faraday Cage?

It's official.  The meeting to elect the next Pope - called The Conclave - will officially start on Tuesday March 12th, 2013.

As leaders of the Roman Catholic Church wait for the last remaining cardinal to arrive in Vatican City, all eyes will soon be watching the chimney at St. Peter's Basilica for the earliest signal that the See Of Rome has a new Pope.  Along the way, many interesting details about the Papal Conclave are coming out.

The Swiss Guards - the ensemble charged with protecting the Holy See and the Curia - was doing their job on Monday, when they prevented an imposter from entering the pre-conclave events at the Vatican.

Many of us will never visit The Vatican yet alone be there for the Conclave;  As Cardinals from around the globe get ready to meet to elect the next Pope, a lot of people are wondering what it all looks like from the inside.

Is he resigning or retiring?  The answer is in  the semantics that surround the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will step down officially on Thursday, February 28th - the first pontiff to do so since the Middle Ages.  It's natural to wonder what will happen to the Pope afterwards?

While it's been over 600 years since the Roman Catholic Church has had to find a new Pope following a resignation, the election process remains the same as it does for choosing a successor following the death of the pontiff.  What might be different this time around is the influence that American cardinals have on the process.