Following the death or resignation of a pope, the Catholic Church elects a new pope through an election by cardinals who meet in a conclave Pope Francis remained hospitalized Wednesday, five days after he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital with a respiratory infection.

Even so, it seems to me that most of the hypocrisy I have observed in my church is in its leadership, from the Pope, to many of the bishops and cardinals and some priests. First, let me explain my journey in the Roman Catholic Church.

The pope was brought to a nearby hospital in Rome to treat an ailment. Get an update on how the Catholic Church leader is doing now.

Pope Francis described Donald Trump's migrant deportations as a "major crisis" Tuesday, prompting a rebuke from the US president's border czar, who told the pontiff to "stick to the Catholic

Pope Francis issued a 10-point letter to the U.S. bishops in which he directly rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial policy of mass deportation of undocumented residents. Francis even included a reference – oblique,

His age and prolonged illness have raised questions about whether he might resign, and revived interest about how papal power is exercised in the Holy See.

As Pope Francis continues to battle double pneumonia in hospital, his poor health is casting a spotlight on the arcane process of how the Catholic Church elects its leader. The papal "conclave" is intentionally shrouded in mystery — the term itself is Latin for "locked room" — but here are some of its rules and wrinkles: Candidates must be male and a baptized Catholic.

Francis' age and prolonged illness has revived interest about how papal power is exercised in the Holy See, how it is transferred and under what circumstances.

Pope Francis' age and prolonged illness have revived interest in how papal power is exercised in the Holy See, how it is transferred and under what circumstances.

Pope Francis’ hospital stay is raising obvious questions about what happens if he loses consciousness for a prolonged period, or whether he might follow in Pope Benedict XVI’s footsteps and resign if he becomes unable to lead.

While the Vatican has detailed laws and rituals to ensure the transfer of power when a pope dies or resigns, they do not apply if he is sick or even unconscious. And there are no specific norms outlining what happens to the leadership of the Catholic Church if a pope becomes totally incapacitated.