Latest Pope Francis News
Pope visits multicultural Marseille as some in Europe talk of fences and blockades to curb migration
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The French port city of Marseille, for centuries a multiethnic and multifaith melting pot, awaited the arrival Friday of Pope Francis, who plans to amplify his call for the Mediterranean region of Europe to be a place of welcome for migrants. The pope's...
Catholic priests bless same-sex couples in defiance of a German archbishop
BERLIN (AP) — Several Catholic priests held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples outside Cologne Cathedral on Wednesday night in a protest against the city’s conservative archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. Their protest was triggered by Cologne church officials' criticism...
Pope goes to Marseille to talk migration, but will Europe listen as it scrambles to stem an influx?
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Ten years after Pope Francis made a landmark visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa to show solidarity with migrants, he is joining Catholic bishops from the Mediterranean this weekend in France to make the call more united. The question is whether anyone in...
In Chile, justice eludes victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse years after the crisis exploded
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Soon after she learned what happened, Helmut Kramer’s mother grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the priest out of photographs from her son’s baptism. “She kept the photos after that,” said Kramer, who was sexually abused at age 12 in a Jesuit school...
Women who say they were abused by a onetime Jesuit artist denounce an apparent rehabilitation effort
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Women who say they were abused by a once-prominent Jesuit artist said Tuesday they had been revictimized by his superiors, saying Pope Francis’ recent gestures and an apparent effort to exonerate him publicly showed church pledges of “zero tolerance” were just a...
Pope meets with new Russian ambassador as second Moscow mission planned for his Ukraine peace envoy
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Russia’s new ambassador to the Vatican met Monday with Pope Francis for a protocol visit, as signs emerged that the Vatican's Ukraine peace envoy could soon be undertaking a second mission to Moscow. The Vatican said Ambassador Ivan Soltanovsky was presenting...
Pope Francis and Bill Clinton set discussion on climate change at Clinton Global Initiative
NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis will discuss how to address the world's pressing issues with former President Bill Clinton to open this year's Clinton Global Initiative, organizers announced Thursday. The pontiff will discuss broad issues — including climate change, the refugee...
Ox-pulled floats with sacred images of Mary draw thousands to Portugal’s wine-country procession
LAMEGO, Portugal (AP) — Galego and Cabano, two dark-haired oxen, pulled the sacred image of Our Lady of Remedies on a procession float for more than two hours through this small town in Portugal’s wine country. They remained unperturbed even when two cannons fired salutes at the...
Pope's Ukraine peace envoy heads to China on mission to help return Ukraine children taken to Russia
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ Ukraine peace envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, is heading to China on the fourth leg of a mission that has already brought him to Kyiv, Moscow and Washington, the Vatican said Tuesday. The main aim of the shuttle diplomacy is to help return Ukrainian...
Vatican opens up a palazzo built on ancient Roman ruins and housing its highly secretive tribunals
ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Tuesday opened the doors to one of Renaissance Rome’s most spectacular palazzos, normally hidden from public view since it houses some of the Holy See’s most secretive offices: the ecclesial tribunals that decide everything from marriage annulments to plenary...
