Imagine the chaos: three different people holding the highest office in the nation within the span of 365 days. It sounds like a constitutional crisis, but it actually happened twice in American history—in 1841 and again in 1881. Both years were marked by tragedy,...

The death of a Roman Pontiff sets in motion a meticulously coordinated series of events, governed by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (UDG). This period, known as the Sede Vacante (Vacant See), involves a transfer of authority, the destruction of papal symbols, and...