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May 16, 2025
 

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CATHOLIC CHURCH

The government plans to send Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to the funeral of Pope Francis.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2025
Japan plans to send foreign minister to pope's funeral
The head of the Catholic Church died Monday at the age of 88. His funeral is due to take place at the Vatican on Saturday.
Pope Francis was known for his strong environmentalism, highlighted by his influential 2015 encyclical calling for global climate action.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 23, 2025
The next pope will help decide the planet’s fate
As much of the world retreats from climate activism, the Vatican has a chance to stand out by choosing another vocal environmentalist to lead 1.4 billion Catholics.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd during his trip to Nagasaki Prefecture in November 2019.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 22, 2025
Japan joins world in mourning death of Pope Francis
Leaders commended the pontiff’s lifelong efforts in delivering the message of peace, which included a trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Candles and flowers are placed next to images of the late Pope Francis at the entrance of the Buenos Aires Cathedral on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Apr 22, 2025
What happens after the pope dies?
The Catholic Church will first enter a period known as "Sede Vacante," during which a senior cardinal takes over day-to-day affairs.
A portrait of the late Pope Francis is placed in front of the altar during a mass at the Buenos Aires Cathedral on Monday, following his death in the Vatican.
WORLD / Society
Apr 22, 2025
'One isn't born a saint': School nuns remember Pope Francis as a boy
A boisterous child, then-Jorge Bergoglio played football with his friends in the courtyard, and sprinted up and down the marble stairs.
Members of the clergy celebrate Mass in memory of Pope Francis, following the death of the pontiff, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, in La Paz, Bolivia, on Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2025
A conclave to test Pope Francis’ legacy
Francis unraveled many knots after his elevation in March 2013, leaving the question of whether he did enough to secure his legacy now that he’s passed.
Argentine artist Javier Sativa draws the face of the late Pope Francis on a street in front of the entrance of the Buenos Aires Cathedral on Monday. Francis died Monday at 88, a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement.
WORLD
Apr 22, 2025
Pope Francis' death from a stroke sets off global tributes and mourning
World leaders from U.S. President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the pope's moral and spiritual leadership.
Pope Francis blesses the faithful during the weekly general audience at the Vatican in August 2023.
WORLD
Apr 21, 2025
Pope Francis, radical leader who broke the papal mold, dies at 88
Francis' often turbulent reign was marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the main balcony of St. Peter's basilica during the Urbi et Orbi message as part of Easter celebrations on Sunday.
WORLD
Apr 20, 2025
Pope wishes 'Happy Easter' to faithful in appearance at St Peter's Square
The Pope's address, read out, condemned "worrisome" anti-Semitism, and the "deplorable" situation in Gaza.
Christian worshippers take part in a Good Friday procession as they carry a cross with a Jesus statue in the town of Klayaa, in southern Lebanon, on March 29, 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2025
Can the Jesus of history support the Christ of faith?
I would not expect a non-Christian writer to simply embrace the thesis that events in the New Testament did mostly happen as related.
Pope Francis appears at a window of Gemelli hospital in Rome on Sunday before being discharged after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia.
WORLD
Mar 23, 2025
Pope Francis leaves hospital after making first public appearance in five weeks
Francis, 88, went to hospital on Feb. 14 with a severe respiratory infection that became the most serious health crisis of his 12-year papacy.
Nuns pose for a photo in the rain in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday, ahead of a prayer service as Pope Francis continues his hospitalization.
WORLD
Mar 2, 2025
Pope Francis remains stable, has not had new breathing crisis, Vatican says
The 88-year-old pontiff suffered a constriction of his respiratory airways on Friday, akin to an asthma attack, renewing concerns over his well-being.
Catholics attend a Mass to pray for Pope Francis' health at the Plaza Constitucion in Buenos Aires on Monday.
WORLD
Feb 25, 2025
Pope Francis still critical but shows 'slight improvement,' Vatican says
The 88-year-old pontiff was spending his 11th night in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, making it the longest hospital stay of his nearly 12-year papacy.
Nuns pray at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital, where Pope Francis is hospitalized for pneumonia in Rome, on Sunday
WORLD
Feb 24, 2025
Pope Francis remains critical and has 'slight' kidney issue, Vatican says
The pope is particularly prone to lung infections because he developed pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.
Pope Francis in February 2016. As of Saturday, his condition "continues to be critical," the Vatican said.
WORLD
Feb 23, 2025
Pope Francis in critical condition after health deteriorates, Vatican says
The pope was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs after being hospitalized earlier this month.
A person holds candles of Pope Francis on Tuesday near a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome where Pope Francis is hospitalized.
WORLD
Feb 19, 2025
Pope Francis has double pneumonia, complicating his treatment, Vatican says
Pope Francis has had a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14.
People walk past a banner that reads "no to divorce" outside the Quiapo Church in Manila. The Philippines is one of just two countries — along with Vatican City — where divorce is illegal, and the Catholic Church retains a powerful grip on society and outsize influence on politics.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 11, 2025
Philippine divorce activists vow to fight on
The Philippines is one of just two countries — along with Vatican City — where divorce remains illegal.
Crowds gather in front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday, a day ahead of its official reopening.
WORLD
Dec 7, 2024
Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens on Saturday, five years after fire
The 860-year-old medieval cathedral has been meticulously restored, with a new spire and rib vaulting.
Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley leaves after attending a press conference hosted by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to release its first annual report, at the Vatican on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Oct 30, 2024
Church must act faster against abusive priests, papal commission says
The detailed global report from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was the first since the body was set up by Pope Francis in 2014.
Today's religious thinkers face the challenge of demonstrating that faith offers deeper meaning and understanding in an increasingly secular world.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2024
Is the world ready for a religious comeback?
Individuals are seeking meaning through alternative avenues, suggesting a readiness for religious discourse.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
Two crew feared dead after ASDF training jet crashes in Aichi
Self-Defense Forces personnel collect apparent parts of an Air Self-Defense Force T-4 training jet from a reservoir in Inuyama, Aichi Prefeture, on Thursday. The jet crashed shortly after takeoff a day earlier.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
Tokyo Stock Exchange wants stocks to be affordable for the average investor
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.

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