When Pope Francis chose the small Italian island of Lampedusa as the destination for his first trip outside Rome after his election, he signaled to the world that migration would be a defining issue of his pontificate.
Pope’s life, leadership, placed Latin America at center of the church
As the pope of the peripheries, Pope Francis brought the heart, mind and soul of the Catholic Church in Latin America from what he called the “ends of the earth” to the center of Christendom.
Clericalism was chief target of Pope Francis’ teaching
From the moment he took the helm of the Catholic Church’s sprawling hierarchy, Pope Francis positioned himself as a pastor close to the people he served, and he called out the behavior of priests who were distant from and thought they were superior to their flocks.
Pope Francis dies during Jubilee, leaving Holy Door open in papal first
With his death April 21, Pope Francis marked yet another first in the history of the Catholic Church: he became the first pope to open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica without living to close it.
Christ’s light breaks through world’s darkness, pope says in vigil message
As the lights of St. Peter’s Basilica were extinguished and silence settled through the sprawling interior, a single flame — the paschal candle — pierced through the gloom, representing the light of the risen Christ which “quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness,” Pope Francis said.
Pope thanks medical team that cared for him during hospitalization
Pope Francis personally thanked the health care workers and medical staff who cared for him in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for 38 days while he recovered from respiratory infections.
Bronze sculpture in St. Peter’s Square offers message of hospitality
A new bronze sculpture installed in St. Peter’s Square, near the showers and medical clinic the Vatican runs for people in need, invites visitors to reflect on the sacredness of welcoming others, especially the marginalized.
Peru-based Catholic movement formally suppressed by the Vatican
Pope Francis has ordered the suppression of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based lay movement active across Latin America and the United States, and three related lay movements following decades of abuse allegations and internal investigations.
On Palm Sunday, recovering pope says to carry the cross with compassion
Carrying the cross means more than bearing personal suffering — it means stepping into the pain of others and walking beside them, Pope Francis wrote at the start of Holy Week.
Two popes who built St. Peter’s Basilica face each other fully restored
Two popes who played instrumental roles in building the world’s largest church now gaze at one another with renewed clarity in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Papal preacher: Faith in Resurrection means not clinging to the past
The temptation to cling to the past — to hold on to what was, including something sacred — can keep believers from truly embracing the hope offered by the risen Christ, said the preacher of the papal household.
In historic Assisi, pilgrims seek modern witness of holiness
Individual devotees, pilgrim groups and students on school field trips visited Blessed Carlo’s tomb in the church, which stands next to the site where St. Francis famously stripped off his fine clothing to embrace a life poverty.