Vatican Pope Francis leaves hospital 10 days after colon surgery Pope Francis was seen leaving the hospital on Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing planned surgery to remove half his colon. 14/07/2021
Green News Pope Francis will attend COP26 in November if his health allows The pope is currently recovering from colon surgery at a hospital in Rome, but as a staunch supporter of the Paris Agreement targets, he hopes to attend COP26. 13/07/2021
Vatican Pope Francis makes first public appearance since undergoing surgery The 84-year-old pontiff addressed a crowd of well-wishers from the balcony of the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome and used the occasion to declare his support for public health services across the world. 11/07/2021
Vatican Pope Francis had a temporary 'fever episode' after his recent surgery Routine tests and scans proved negative after the pope developed the temporary fever. However, he is still eating and moving around unassisted. 09/07/2021
Vatican Pope Francis 'reacted well' to intestinal surgery, Vatican says It is the pope's first known hospital treatment since he was elected to the papacy in 2013. 04/07/2021
Vatican Pope appeals for aid to Myanmar displaced on World Refugee Day The supreme pontiff used his Sunday address to call for places of worship to be used as humanitarian shelters amid escalating violence in the country. 20/06/2021
Germany Pope Francis rejects resignation of German archbishop Reinhard Marx Pope Francis has refused to accept the resignation of German archbishop Reinhard Marx over the mishandling of the church sex abuse scandal. 10/06/2021
World News Pope voices 'pain' over Canadian residence school deaths Pope Francis expressed his pain over the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous students. 06/06/2021
Germany German cardinal resigns over Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, said that the church had hit a "dead end" but that he hoped there would be a "turning point". 04/06/2021
World News Vatican to criminalise sexual abuse of adults by priests The Catholic Church is changing its laws to explicitly criminalise sexual abuse of adults by priests, and to include laypeople who hold church office in sanctions for similar crimes. 01/06/2021
Italy Pope calls for an end to 'hatred and vendetta' in the Middle East During a special service in St Peter's Basilica Pope Francis denounced the violence taking place between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the coup in Myanmar. 16/05/2021
World News Pope says world on a 'path to self-destruction' without change Pope Francis urged world leaders to do more to make society greener, fairer 23/04/2021
Italy Pope urges COVID-19 vaccines for poorest nations in Easter message Describing vaccines as an ”essential tool" in the pandemic battle, Pope Francis called for a “spirit of global responsibility” to ensure the poorest nations can access the shots. 04/04/2021
Italy Easter celebrations muted by COVID pandemic for second year running From socially-distanced gatherings outside to virtual masses, Easter has been tempered for a second year amid lockdowns and pandemic restrictions. 03/04/2021
Israel Christians mark Good Friday amid lingering COVID-19 woes Worshippers in Israel were allowed to attend scaled-back Good Friday celebrations which were cancelled last year. 02/04/2021
Vatican Watch: Pope Francis delivers Palm Sunday Angelus Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week before Easter. 28/03/2021
World News Racism is 'a virus', says Pope Francis, warning of lurking threat 'Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.' 21/03/2021
Vatican Vatican rejects blessing of same-sex unions as God 'cannot bless sin' The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions since any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage. 15/03/2021
My Europe Series Europe's week: A year of the COVID pandemic and women's day These have been the key talking points in Brussels this week. 12/03/2021
Vatican Pope 'tired' as he returns from historic Iraq visit “I do confess that on this trip I got a lot more tired than during other ones,” he said, noting his age. “It’s a consequence. But we’ll see.” 08/03/2021