Pope Francis has declared that the Vatican Secret Archive isn't so secret after all. Francis on Monday officially changed the name of the Holy See archive to remove what he said were the "negative" connotations of having "secret" in its name. From now on, the vast ...
Pope Francis said Sunday it was time for "predators" to stop plundering the Earth for financial gain, holding up the "scarred face of the Amazon" as a warning. The poor are "threatened by predatory models of development," the pope said at a Mass at the ...
Pope's Amazon synod proposes married priests and female leaders
Catholic bishops from across the Amazon called Saturday for the ordination of married men as priests to address the clergy shortage in the region, a historic proposal that would upend centuries of Roman Catholic tradition. The majority of 180 bishops from nine Amazonian countries also ...
Vatican condemns 'defiance' after indigenous Amazon statues are thrown into river
The Vatican on Monday spoke of an "act of defiance" after some indigenous Amazonian statues were taken from a Rome church and dumped into the Tiber River following criticism from ultra-conservative Catholics. Anonymous individuals filmed themselves taking the five statues of a naked, pregnant woman ...
Pope to elevate British convert Cardinal John Henry Newman to sainthood
Pope Francis was to elevate five people to sainthood on Sunday, including Britain's Cardinal John Henry Newman — one of the Catholic Church's most renowned converts — and a nun dubbed the "Mother Teresa of Brazil." Heads of state from across the world were expected ...
Expectations are growing that Pope Francis will meet with an 83-year-old man whose death sentence was recently suspended after a 48-year stint on death row, to send a clear signal about his opposition to capital punishment. It was reported in mid-September that the Vatican is ...
With installation of more cardinals, Pope Francis sets future direction of Catholic Church
Pope Francis installed new cardinals on Saturday, putting his stamp on the future of the Roman Catholic Church with men who share his vision for social justice, the rights of immigrants and dialogue with Islam. Ten of the 13 bishops elevated to the high rank ...
Vatican synod to shine light on Amazon's indigenous communities
Pope Francis will gather Catholic bishops at the Vatican on Sunday to champion the isolated and poverty-struck indigenous communities of the Amazon, whose way of life is under threat. The eyes of the world have recently been on the world's largest rainforest, which is vital ...
Pope to stress anti-nuclear weapons message and meet with 3/11 survivors on trip to Japan
The trip from Nov. 23 to 26 will mark the first visit to the country by a pontiff in 38 years.
South Sudan rebel leader in Juba in bid to salvage peace deal
South Sudan's exiled rebel leader Riek Machar arrived in Juba on Monday for the first time in a year and held rare talks with President Salva Kiir as the rivals try to salvage a stalled peace agreement. Machar landed in the capital in a Sudanese ...
Pope rescued by Vatican firefighters after malfunctioning elevator trapped him for 25 minutes
Pope Francis said Sunday he was late for his weekly Angelus prayer because he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be freed by firemen. "I have to apologize for being late," the smiling 82-year old pontiff told crowds of faithful patiently ...
Ex-Vatican treasurer George Pell loses appeal against sex abuse convictions in Australia
Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell lost an appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choir boys and will remain in prison for at least another three years, an Australian court ruled Wednesday. Pell, the highest ranking Catholic worldwide to be convicted of ...
