Vatican

Vatican

Pope Francis urges more compassion towards 'imperfect' Catholics in family life

New guidelines issued by the pope on family life call for the church to be less strict and more compassionate to those he describes as being in

08/04/2016

Vatican

Vatican probes funding for cardinal's luxury apartment

The Vatican says it is investigating claims that money meant for a children’s hospital was used to refurbish the luxury apartment of a high-ranking

01/04/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis: the Lahore attack is "hideous"

The pontiff urges the authorities in Pakistan to do more to protect religious minorities

28/03/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis uses Easter homily to call for hope

The Pope has used an Easter vigil Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to urge people not to lose hope in a gloomy world. The Holy Week commemorating Jesus’

27/03/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis condemns 'unprecedented' terrorist violence in Good Friday speech

Pope Francis has used his Good Friday address to condemn Europe’s reaction to the migrant crisis, which he said had been blunted by our “indifferent

26/03/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis washes feet of refugees, condemns Brussels attacks

During a traditional pre-Easter ritual the pontiff washed and kissed refugees feet in a shelter near Rome and condemned arms manufacturers as partly responsible for the Brussels attacks.

25/03/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis proves a hit on Instagram

Pope Francis launched his own Instagram account on Saturday with astonishing success, acquiring over a million followers on the photo-sharing app

20/03/2016

Vatican

Mother Teresa of Calcutta to be made Roman Catholic saint

Pope Francis has announced that Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who dedicated her life to helping the poor, will be made at saint of the Roman Catholic

15/03/2016

Vatican

Australian sex abuse victims call for Papal promise to protect children

Australian victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy have called for a face to face meeting with Pope Francis. They want a Papal commitment

02/03/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis calls for death penalty to be scrapped worldwide

Pope Francis is calling for the abolition of the death penalty around the world. He says the commandment “You shall not kill” is valid for both the

21/02/2016

Vatican

Pope suggests contraception could be allowed for women facing Zika virus

Pope Francis looks to have suggested that the Roman Catholic Church could soften its ban on contraception for women facing the Zika crisis. On the

18/02/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis questions Donald Trump's Christianity over migrants

Pope Francis has become immersed in the US election campaign after calling into question Donald Trump’s Christianity. Speaking during his in-flight

18/02/2016

Vatican

Pope raises concerns for Christians in talks with Iraqi PM Abadi

Pope Francis hosted Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday and raised concerns about the desperate plight of Christians and other

10/02/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis celebrates Jubilee day in honour of Padre Pio

Thousands of Roman Catholic faithful gathered on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate a Jubilee day for the revered mystical monk, Padre Pio

06/02/2016

Vatican

Catholic Saint Padre Pio's remains begin journey to the Vatican

The partially-reconstructed remains of Padre Pio have begun an overland journey to the Vatican at the request of the Pope. He died in 1968 and was

05/02/2016

Vatican

"The Devil's Job": ex-Vatican Bank chief Tedeschi on finance and morality

Italian economist and banker Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was president of the Vatican’s Bank at a time of turmoil from 2009 to 2012. Amid a

04/02/2016

Vatican

Pope receives Iran's President at Vatican with warm welcome and private meeting

Pope Francis welcomed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to the Vatican on Tuesday. The two held a private talk that lasted 40 minutes. They discussed

26/01/2016

No Comment

Pope blessing lambs

Popes are used to receiving all types of visitors from heads of states to celebrities and even the kind that bleat. Pope Francis observed the feast

22/01/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis uses new book to call for more compassion within the Church

Pope Francis has called for Roman Catholic leaders to be “compassionate shepherds to a wounded humanity”. The message comes in the publication of a

13/01/2016

Vatican

Pope calls on Europe to maintain principles of humanity

Pope Francis has said the flood of new arrivals was a major burden for Europe and had given rise to “significant” fears over security and

11/01/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis holds Epiphany mass, Eastern Christians prepare for Christmas

The Vatican has held the annual Epiphany mass, marking the official end of the Christmas season. Pope Francis spoke in his homily of restless hearts

06/01/2016

Vatican

Pope Francis calls for an end to injustice in his first, solemn, mass of the New Year

Pope Francis has urged people to combat the “torrent” of misery, injustice and violence in the world. The pontiff was speaking as he celebrated his

01/01/2016

Vatican

Pope urges return to simplicity at Christmas Eve mass

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in front of a congregation of 10,000 people. He used the opportunity to remind

25/12/2015

Vatican

Pope Francis pledges to cleanse spiritual 'diseases' during Curia speech

Pope Francis is vowing to push ahead with moves to cleanse Church bureaucracy, amid scandals and charges of greed and corruption. It came during

21/12/2015

Vatican

Five go on trial at the Vatican

The trial has opened in the Vatican into the alleged theft of confidential documents from the Holy See. Journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano

07/12/2015

Cinema

Pope Francis biopic hits the big screen

The first biopic of Pope Francis is hitting the big screen. Based on an Argentinian bestseller about the Pope, ‘Call me Francis’ follows the story

30/11/2015