Pope News

US bishops approve changes to Church law on sex abuse reporting

By AFP

Washington - The Catholic Church in the United States, which has been rocked in recent years by child sex abuse scandals and investigations, on Thursday approved a papal document that requires clergy to report suspicions of sexual assault.

Pope seeks more prayer, less business at Lourdes shrine

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis has named a special envoy to prioritise spirituality at the Roman Catholic shrine at Lourdes in France over "managerial and financial" aspects.

Pope to receive Putin at Vatican on July 4

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin for an audience next month, the Vatican said on Thursday."The Holy Father will receive the president of the Russian Federation...

Roma dream of discrimination-free Romania ahead of Pope visit

By AFP

Ion, a 72-year-old retiree from Romania's minority Roma community, says he is used to living without rights.

Pope celebrates diversity at mass in multi-ethnic Romania

By AFP

Pope Francis on the second day of a visit to Romania celebrated diversity at a mass Saturday attended by tens of thousands of people in a predominantly ethnic-Hungarian part of the Transylvania region seen as the highlight of his trip.

Pope to hold giant mass for Romania's ethnic-Hungarian minority

By AFP

Tens of thousands gathered Saturday for a mass by Pope Francis on his second day in Romania with the ceremony in a predominantly ethnic-Hungarian part of the Transylvania region set to be the highlight of his trip.

Romanians welcome pope who praises 'sacrifices' of emigrants

By AFP

Bucharest - Romanians lined Bucharest streets and packed two cathedrals on Friday to welcome Pope Francis, who began a three-day trip to the country with a message of integration for a post-election European Union following nationalist gains.

Pope to 'go beyond fear' in Romania

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis headed to Romania on Friday with a message of integration not just for its faith communities but for a post-election European Union, following nationalist gains.

Pope sounds racism alarm as EU nationalists win big

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis warned Monday against a rise of intolerance and racism as far-right nationalists and eurosceptic parties made historic gains in European elections.

Pope prays as Frenchman's life support switched off

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis on Monday said "those who live with severe illness" should have life protected until "its natural end", as doctors in France began turning off the life support of a man in a vegetative state.

Pope accepts resignation of Brazilian bishop

By AFP

S - Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of a Brazilian bishop reportedly suspected of extorting priests and covering up sexual abuse, the Vatican said in a statement.

Pope accepts resignation of Brazilian bishop

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Brazilian bishop Vilson Dias de Oliveira, the Vatican said Friday in a statement.

US Catholic abuse victims sue Vatican to name predatory priests

By AFP

Washington - Five Americans who say they were sexually molested by Catholic priests filed a lawsuit against the Vatican on Tuesday to compel the church to open its archives and hand over the names and details of abusive clergy.

Nuns step up in the fight against prostitution

By AFP

Rome - Girls freed from the clutches of human traffickers worldwide are given shelter by nuns from the Talitha Kum network, which is marking its 10th anniversary with support from Pope Francis.

Pope 'suffers' with Roma, Sinti people amid tensions in Rome

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis said Thursday he "suffers" when he reads about threats made against Roma and Sinti people, following tensions in Rome over the allocation of social housing to Bosnian Roma.

Pope changes Church law to make reporting sex abuse obligatory

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis on Thursday passed a measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to their superiors, following a global clerical paedophilia scandal.

In North Macedonia, Pope urges Balkans to embrace diversity

By AFP

Skopje - Pope Francis called on the Western Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during a visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, saying "respect for diversity" is key to the region's efforts to integrate with Europe.

Refugees are 'cross for humanity', says Pope in Bulgaria

By AFP

Sofia - Pope Francis told Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a camp in Bulgaria that their experiences were "a cross for humanity" as he continued his visit to the Balkans on Monday.

Pope asks Bulgarians to 'open hearts' to migrants

By AFP

Sofia - Pope Francis urged Bulgarians to open their hearts and doors to refugees as he began a visit to the European Union's poorest country, where the main Orthodox Church snubbed holding joint prayers with the pontiff.

Skopje gears up for papal visit to Mother Teresa's hometown

By AFP

Skopje - When he first heard Pope Francis would visit North Macedonia, the birthplace of the world's most famous Catholic nun Mother Teresa, Marinko Pinjuh thought it was "fake news".

Wary welcome expected for Pope Francis on Balkan visit

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis begins a Balkan visit on Sunday in Bulgaria, a country with a tiny Catholic community where the Orthodox Church has rejected the idea of holding joint prayers with the pontiff.

Pope appeals for evacuation of refugees in Libya camps

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis called Sunday for the evacuation of refugees held in detention camps in Libya, particularly women and children, as fighting there escalates.

Pope urges Libya peace, return of refugees to Syria

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis on Sunday urged world leaders to try again to bring peace to Libya and in Syria where millions of refugees and people displaced by conflict should be helped to return home.

Pope leads Good Friday procession highlighting modern-day slaves' plight

By AFP

Rome - Pope Francis on Friday led the traditional Easter week "Way of the Cross" procession in Rome, which was this year took the theme of modern-day slavery and human trafficking, including the prostitutes who ply their trade on Italy's streets.

Ex-pope Benedict blames Church sex abuse crisis on '68

By AFP

Vatican City - Former pope Benedict XVI on Thursday blamed the Catholic clerical sex abuse scandals on the 1960s sexual revolution and a collapse in faith in the West, immediately drawing criticism from some theologians.

Pope hopes for S.Sudan peace as leaders end Vatican retreat

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis called Thursday for warring South Sudanese factions to respect the latest armistice after a two-day Vatican retreat aimed at shoring up the fragile peace.

Vatican to host S.Sudan warring rivals to encourage peace process

By AFP

Vatican City - South Sudan's warring rivals President Salva Kiir and rebel leader and former vice president Riek Machar will attend a retreat at the Vatican this week "to work for a future of peace", the Holy See said.

Pope warns against hate-fomenting 'fake news'

By AFP

Vatican City - Internet-based "fake news" is fomenting prejudice and hatred, Pope Francis said on Tuesday, warning our culture "has lost its sense of truth and bends the facts to suit particular interests".

Pope visits Morocco to boost dialogue, meet migrants

By AFP

Rabat - Pope Francis arrives in Morocco on Saturday for a visit which will see him meet Muslim leaders and migrants ahead of a mass with the country's minority Catholic community.The spiritual leader of the world's 1.

Pope issues new child abuse legislation for Vatican City

By AFP

Vatican City - Pope Francis issued stringent child abuse legislation for Vatican City employees on Friday, as part of the Church's bid to address a wave of sex abuse allegations against priests.