Latest Vatican City News
A review of some of Pope Francis' most memorable quotes over his papacy
On Friday, flying back to Rome from a lengthy trip to Asia, Pope Francis criticized both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration. He advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. ...
Pope slams both Harris and Trump as 'against life' and urges Catholics to vote for 'lesser evil'
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. ...
Pope says sex abuse is ‘demonic’ as he weighs in on new scandal in French church
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis called sexual abuse “demonic” on Friday as he weighed in on the latest sex assault revelations against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre, who devoted his life to advocating for the homeless. Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007, was one...
Pope makes new overture to China, calling Beijing ‘a promise and hope’ for the church
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis declared Friday that China was “a promise and a hope” for the Catholic Church, offering extensive praise for Beijing at the end of a four-nation tour through Asia and again expressed hope to one day visit. Francis’ comments, during...
How does the huge crowd for the pope's Mass in East Timor compare to others?
TASITOLU, East Timor (AP) — Popes are popular. So much so that nearly half the population of East Timor gathered Tuesday in a seaside park for Pope Francis’ final Mass in the small Southeast Asian country whose people are deeply Catholic. Other papal Masses have drawn millions of...
Pope cheers East Timor's recovery while acknowledging a bishop's abuse scandal
DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero. Timorese...
Pope Francis enters Papua New Guinea's remote jungles with humanitarian aid and toys
VANIMO, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Pope Francis traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea on Sunday to celebrate the Catholic Church on the peripheries, bringing with him medicine, musical instruments and a message of love for the people who live there. Francis flew aboard a...
AP PHOTOS: Pope Francis' Asia trip marks 60 years of papal visits to the region
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Pope Francis' visit to Southeast Asia, the longest trip in his papacy, is the latest in decades of regular papal visits to the Asia-Pacific region. Papal travel is a thing of the modern era, starting with Pope Paul VI, who became the first pontiff to leave...
Pope embarks on longest, farthest and most challenging trip to Asia, with China in the background
VATICAN CITY (AP) — If any evidence were needed to underscore that Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Asia and Oceania is the longest, farthest and most challenging of his pontificate, it’s that he’s bringing along his secretaries to help him navigate the four-country program while keeping up...
Church sex abuse scandals in East Timor met by silence, but Pope Francis’ visit brings new attention
DILI, East Timor (AP) — When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s...
