Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. The ruckus that ensued underscored how the church’s official teaching about homosexuality often bumps...

A look at Pope Francis' comments about LGBTQ+ people

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' apology Tuesday for using a vulgar term to refer to gay men was the latest comment to make headlines about the Catholic Church's teachings on homosexuality. Francis has made a hallmark of reaching out to LGBTQ+ Catholics, but his 11-year...

Pope Francis apologizes after he was quoted using a vulgar term to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests

Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the Millennial generation

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006. Carlo Acutis, born on May 3, 1991, in London and then moved...

Retired judge finds no reliable evidence against Quebec cardinal; purported victim declines to talk

ROME (AP) — A retired Canadian judge said Tuesday he couldn’t find any reliable evidence of sexual misconduct by the archbishop of Quebec, after the purported victim refused to cooperate with his investigation and the cardinal strongly denied the claim. Pope Francis had tasked...

Vatican makes fresh overture to China, reaffirms that Catholic Church is no threat to sovereignty

ROME (AP) — The Vatican made another big overture to China on Tuesday, reaffirming the Catholic Church poses no threat to Beijing's sovereignty and admitting that Western missionaries had made “errors” in past centuries in their zeal to convert the Chinese faithful. The Vatican...

Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has added a stop in Luxembourg to a trip to Belgium in September, a three-day visit that will come as he is recovering from a much longer and challenging trip to Asia. The Vatican on Monday announced the Sept. 26-29 dates of the planned trip, saying Francis...

Vatican moves to adapt to hoaxes, Internet and overhauls its process for evaluating visions of Mary

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Friday overhauled its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena that have marked church history, putting the brakes on making definitive declarations unless the event is obviously...

Pope urges Italians to have babies as a measure of hope for future

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis pressed his campaign Friday to urge Italians to have children, calling for long-term policies to help families and warning that the country’s demographic crisis was threatening the future. “The number of births is the first indicator of the hope of a...

Holy Year or holy mess, Vatican and Rome begin dash to 2025 Jubilee with papal bull, construction

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican crossed a key milestone Thursday in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year. It's a once-every-quarter-century event that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and has already brought...