Canon lawyers are proposing new laws that will delineate the rules on papal retirement. Retired Pope Benedict XVI has had to trailblaze a path, as the last pope to step down was in 1294.

The resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has sparked internal debate over the status and titles of former Popes. One group of canon lawyers and academics are working to draft a ruleset for this navigating papal resignations going forward.

No, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is not dead. No, Pope Francis is not resigning. And no, the Vatican is not hiding a secret time machine.

Pope Francis said he would not live in the Vatican or return to his native Argentina if and when he ever retires, but would instead like to find a church in Rome where he could continue hearing confessions.

A new book, citing recently opened Vatican archives, suggests that Pope Pius XII avoided conflict with Nazis and that the Vatican worked hardest to save Jews who had converted to Catholicism.

Before he dies or retires, Pope Francis needs to make changes in the process of electing a new pope to avoid the possibility of a deadlocked conclave.