Latest Pope Francis News

Pope creates 21 cardinals, many of them reformers in their own right, to carry out his reform plans

Dec. 07, 2024 12:33 PM EST

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday installed 21 new cardinals, many of whom are key figures in his reform agenda: A Dominican preacher who acted as the spiritual father for Francis' recent gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan “street priest” like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has...

Pope Francis presides over ceremony for new cardinals with wide bruise on his chin

Dec. 07, 2024 12:29 PM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was seen with a significant bruise on his chin Saturday, but presided over a ceremony to install new cardinals without apparent problems. A Vatican spokesman said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion on Friday morning, when...

Pope Francis discusses Ukraine with Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orban

Dec. 04, 2024 05:45 AM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Vatican on Wednesday and discussed with him the war in Ukraine, focusing on the humanitarian situation and efforts to promote peace in the region. Francis also discussed other themes with Orban,...

Venezuelan migrants keep arriving in Colombia. These faith leaders offer them a home away from home

Dec. 03, 2024 08:03 AM EST

PALMIRA, Colombia (AP) — It’s been three years since Douarleyka Velásquez abandoned her career in human resources. Her new job is not what she had planned for, but still feels rewarding. As a cleaning supervisor at a migrant shelter in Colombia, she gets to comfort Venezuelans who, just like...

'AI Jesus' avatar tests man's faith in machines and the divine

Nov. 28, 2024 14:51 PM EST

LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — Would you trust an “AI Jesus” with your innermost thoughts and troubles? Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of “Jesus” on...

Pope hopes to visit Turkey in 2025 to mark 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea

Nov. 28, 2024 10:19 AM EST

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said on Thursday that he hopes to travel to Turkey next year to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council. The visit to Nicaea, today located in İznik on a lake southeast of Istanbul, would come...

Vatican and Microsoft create AI-generated St. Peter's Basilica to allow virtual visits, log damage

Nov. 27, 2024 04:38 AM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monument’s while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems. ...

Vatican to install a webcam at St. Peter's tomb as part technological outreach for Holy Year

Nov. 25, 2024 07:39 AM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Roman Catholic faithful will be able to view St. Peter’s tomb remotely as part of the Vatican’s technological outreach with its far-flung flock during the upcoming Holy Year. Pope Francis will inaugurate a webcam on Dec. 2 to be installed beneath the main...

The pope will visit Corsica Dec. 15 after skipping Paris reopening of Notre Dame

Nov. 23, 2024 07:21 AM EST

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis will travel to the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Dec. 15, making yet another visit to France that avoids the capital and all the pomp and protocol that accompanies a proper state visit. The one-day visit to the French island region, confirmed Saturday...

Bishops and bankers meet to help Catholics seeking to ethically invest

Nov. 20, 2024 16:23 PM EST

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Religious communities are increasingly seeking to invest in companies that match their faith values and ethical concerns, but experts say the financial market lags in providing the appropriate options. A conference in London on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 11-12)...