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 ...

Pope Francis is to give his blessing and greet a crowd from hospital for the first time since he was admitted on 14 February.

which was called after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. While Francis has praised Benedict’s humility in stepping down and said he might follow in his footsteps, more recently he has said the papacy is a ...