VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals are meeting in a secret, sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to follow ...

The Lang Pacha ritual offers dignity to the nameless dead and calls attention to the need for better systems to identify those who die after going missing.

Buddhists believe death marks the beginning of a new life, and making merit ensures a better rebirth. "It's not scary," said ...

Inside this R&D center for Advanced Inhalation Rituals, he and others are trying to breathe new life into a 500-year-old tradition that’s a favorite pastime in many Middle Eastern cafes ...

Thus, the original birthday party was born—not an overindulgence, but a protective, connective ritual. And today? They still serve a similar purpose: Birthday parties mark existence, strengthen ...

Walking can help improve your bone density, mobility, and even your mood. Now, new research finds that it may even help you live longer. That’s the big takeaway from a recent study published in ...

In One Image Prelude to a Funeral By Tomás Munita and Peter Robins The rituals of the Vatican can seem timeless, impervious to change. But look closer. The Swiss Guards accompanying Pope Francis ...

The demise of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, on Monday, will trigger a sequence of rituals and traditions expected to last several days as he is laid to eternal rest.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

VATICAN CITY — The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re ...

Pope Francis’s funeral rites, like those for any pope or any Christian, are meant to “reinforce the hope and witness to the faith” that those who have been baptized in Christ “will rise with him to ...

The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his successor begins. They involve the certification of death and public ...