The history of the papacy is filled with unusual, dramatic events. From a pope put on trial after death to a resignation that broke a 600-year tradition, the Vatican’s past is anything but predictable ...

Due to political turmoil, it took more than two years to elect Pope Gregory X in 1271 ... It was not always this way. Pope Paul VI introduced the threshold in 1970 and it has remained so ever ...

and Gregory VI in 1046. Vatican officials subsequently released updates indicating that Pope Francis' condition is improving, albeit amid some concerns. On Thursday, the Pope was said to have ...