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Pope Francis lamented that a "gay lobby" was at work at the Vatican in private remarks to the leadership of a key Latin American church group - a stunning acknowledgment that may confirm earlier reports about corruption and dysfunction in the Holy See.

While Jorge Bergolio has some political baggage, including questions over his role during a military dictatorship in Argentina in the 1970s, the selection of the 76-year-old archbishop reflected a series of history-making decisions by fellow cardinals.

The Vatican made controversial headlines once again after it was reported that the Holy See (accidentally?) purchased Europe’s biggest gay sauna.

White smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel, which signals the Catholic Church has chosen a new pope.

There is no front-runner or indication who will be the next pope as cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next Holy Father.

Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Tuesday, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics and their troubled church.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet once said that being pope "would be a nightmare" but his high-profile position as head of the Vatican’s office for bishops, his conservative leanings, his years in Latin America and his work in Rome make him a viable candidate.

An Italian newspaper is alleging that Pope Benedict XVI resigned because of a gay lobbying group inside the Vatican.

The Vatican castigated an Italian court decision that denied claims a father’s claims that awarding custody of his son to his ex-wife and her female partner would harm him.

The Vatican’s No. 2 official has called for universal, free access to drugs to combat HIV and for investments into finding a cure.