Pope calls drug traffickers 'murderers,' blasts liberalization laws as 'fantasy' at UN event

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced drug traffickers as "murderers" and labeled drug liberalization laws a “fantasy” as he marked the U.N.'s day against drug use and illicit trafficking Francis devoted his entire weekly catechism lesson to a reflection on drug...

The Vatican appoints Pope Benedict's longtime secretary as its envoy to the Baltic states

BERLIN (AP) — Pope Francis has appointed the longtime secretary of the late Pope Benedict XVI, who was sent back to his native Germany without a new assignment last year after he fell out with the current pontiff, as the Vatican's diplomatic representative to the Baltic states. The...

The former nuncio to the US says he faces schism charges from the Vatican

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s former nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, said on Thursday that he has been summoned by the Vatican to face charges of schism. The archbishop posted the two-page decree from the Vatican’s Dicastry for the Doctrine of...

Defendant in Vatican trial takes case to UN, accuses pope of violating his rights with surveillance

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the defendants in the Vatican’s big financial trial has filed a formal complaint with the United Nations, alleging that Pope Francis violated his human rights by authorizing wide-ranging surveillance during the investigation. A lawyer for Raffaele...

Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade celebrates 30th anniversary, makes fun of Pope Francis comments

ROME (AP) — The Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade celebrated its 30th anniversary Saturday as tens of thousands of people in brightly colored outfits marched through the Italian capital waving banners, dancing and singing as they marked gay rights and poked fun at Pope Francis. Many of the...

Pope Francis meets more than 100 comedians at the Vatican: 'You also make God smile'

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy's southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday celebrating the importance of humor. The pontiff welcomed more than 100 comedians from 15...

The Latest | Group of Seven summit turns to migration after promising tens of billions to Ukraine

BORGO EGNAZIA, Italy (AP) — A summit meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations focused on migration on Friday, the second and final day of the gathering in southern Italy, seeking ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in countries from where migrants start out on...

Pope Francis becomes first pontiff to address a G7 summit, raising alarm about AI. The G7 responds

BARI, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis challenged leaders of the world’s wealthy democracies on Frida y to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, warning that such powerful technology risks turning human relations themselves into mere algorithms. ...

Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to address the Group of Seven, delivering a speech about artificial intelligence

Pope recreates the 2014 Mideast peace prayer in Vatican Gardens to beg for an end to Gaza conflict

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis gathered the Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors to the Vatican Gardens on Friday to pray for an end to the war in Gaza, marking the 10th anniversary of a similar encounter with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents with a new appeal for peace. “Every...