The Vatican houses the central government of the Catholic Church and is also an independent city-state. The pope is both the head of the Catholic Church and head of state. In order to govern both, he has the Roman Curia, meaning “court.” In modern terms, the Curia is the papal bureaucracy. It is an extension of the pope’s authority.

Pietro Parolin, a 70-year-old Italian polyglot who entered the seminary at just 14, is currently pitted as favourite to replace Francis as the pope is still in hospital.

Pope Francis is on the mend, showing a slight improvement in his health, which has allowed him to welcome a visit from Cardinal Pietro Parolin. They discussed important matters concerning the Vatican,

The Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, but not when he is sick

THE Pope wrote his resignation letter 12 years ago in case he became too ill to fulfil the holy role as he remains in a ‘critical’ state in hospital. The Pontiff has spent 10 nights in

As Pope Francis remains hospitalized, speculation intensifies over who could be the next leader of the Catholic Church

The pope is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and the pastor of the universal Catholic Church on Earth, according to the church’s in-house canon law.

The Vatican has set in motion nightly prayers for Pope Francis in the hope that he might recover and get back to leading the Catholic Church.