Praying in a desolately empty St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis has likened the coronavirus pandemic to a storm laying bare people’s illusions that they can be self-sufficient

Pope Francis live-streamed his private daily mass on Thursday and asked everyone to pray for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

A coughing Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the traditional Sunday blessing that he is canceling his participation at a week-long spiritual retreat in the Roman countryside because of a cold

Officials say Pope Francis is sick and he skipped a planned Mass with Rome clergy across town on Thursday

Pope Francis has cautioned against “unfair” solutions aimed at ending the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians

Roman Catholic priests, deacons and bishops across the Amazon are voicing surprise, resignation and reluctant acceptance of Pope Francis’ refusal to allow married men to be ordained priests.

Pope Francis has stopped short of allowing the ordination of married men as priests in the Amazon, where there are severe shortages of clergy, calling instead for ordained ministers to come to the region and work alongside lay preachers.

The Palazzo Migliori, named after the family who donated it to the Roman Catholic Church, had served as the headquarters for an order of religious women, who vacated it last year. But the Calasanziane order that occupied the building for 70 years and used it to help and care for young single mothers has since relocated to another location. One…

The Vatican cardinal who co-authored a bombshell book with Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI reaffirming priestly celibacy on Tuesday strongly denied he manipulated the retired pope into publishing.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage.

Pope Francis has apologized for swatting away the hand of a woman who tugged his arm as the head of the Roman Catholic Church greeted pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve. In video of the incident, a woman reaches out, grabs his hand and then jerks him forcefully toward her. In his impromptu remarks Wednesday, Francis...

A visibly indignant Pope Francis had to pull himself away from a woman in a crowd in St. Peter’s Square after she had grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her. The pope in his new year’s wishes to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday apologized, saying he had lost his patience with the woman.

Pope Francis offered a Christmas message of hope Wednesday against darkness that cloaks conflicts and relationships in large parts of the world from the Middle East to the Americas to Africa. The pope told tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the annual Christmas Day message that “the light of Christ is...

Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — “even the worst of us” — as he celebrated the joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and opposition. With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn “The First Noel,” Francis processed down the center aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica late Tuesday and unveiled…

Pope Francis is warning that “rigidity” in living out the Christian faith is creating a “minefield” of hatred and misunderstanding. Francis called for Vatican bureaucrats to embrace change during his annual Christmas greetings to the cardinals, bishops and priests who work in the Holy See. His message Saturday appeared aimed at conservative and traditionalist Catholics who have voiced increasing opposition...

Pope Francis abolished the use of the Vatican’s highest level of secrecy in clergy sexual abuse cases Tuesday, responding to mounting criticism that the rule of “pontifical secrecy” has been used to protect pedophiles, silence victims and prevent police from investigating crimes.

The Japanese bishops’ conference launched a nationwide investigation into sexual abuse of women and children this year, responding to the Vatican’s demand for an urgent response to the global crisis. The results haven’t been disclosed. Similar studies have been carried out by the U.S., German and Dutch churches.

The bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Buffalo has resigned following widespread criticism over how he handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. Pope Francis has accepted Bishop Richard Malone’s resignation and named the bishop of Albany, New York, to run the Buffalo diocese temporarily until a permanent replacement is found.

A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus’ manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope. Cheerful crowds greeted the ornately encased relic with much fanfare before it entered the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine next...