Pope Francis told Mackrikas, who is the coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, that the Virgin Mary appeared before him, requesting that he be laid to rest in her church.

Francis will be the first pope in more than 350 years to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. (The last one was Clement IX .) For 16 centuries, this basilica has stood sentinel.

Pope Francis to be buried in Saint Mary Major church, not Saint Peter's basilica, ... CRAWFORD: It was seen as an indication of the place where the church should be built.

Almost 13 years have passed since a pope spent part of his summer at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town ...

The Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit priest, has built a ministry aimed at making gay, lesbian and transgender people feel more welcome in the Catholic church and advised Francis on the issue.

Pope Francis inspired debate and conversations in the church that had seemed unimaginable for ages — about whether priests should be allowed to marry, about celibacy, and on and on.

In Shift for Church, Pope Francis Voices Support for Same-Sex Civil Unions. ... In Germany’s more liberal Catholic hierarchy, bishops had built momentum in their push to bless same-sex unions.

VATICAN CITY — One of Pope Francis’ enduring legacies was that he greatly expanded the diversity of cardinals who will elect his successor, naming “princes of the church” from faraway ...

Religion How Pope Francis shaped the papal conclave to reflect a changing church. For the first time, the majority of cardinals to choose a pope are not from Europe, as Catholic demographics shift.