Pope Francis

Pope pauses St Peter’s Square audience to take phone call

VATICAN CITY, May 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday interrupted his weekly audience with the faithful to take a phone call, keeping people in St Peter's Square waiting for…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy expected to meet Pope on Saturday

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on Saturday, diplomatic sources said, days after the Pope said the Holy See…

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Pope urges countries to manage migrant waves, expand legal channels

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, May 11 (Reuters) - Pope Francis appealed to countries on Thursday to manage waves of migrants as best they can and to expand channels for…

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Rare day at Vatican as two popes share stage

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, May 10 (Reuters) - It was a rare day at the Vatican on Wednesday as two popes shared the limelight in St Peter's Square -…

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Pope says Argentina government wanted ‘my head’ when he was in Buenos Aires

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires more than a decade ago, the Argentine government wanted "to…

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Pope wants peace but we do not know of plan – Kremlin

Russia on Thursday reaffirmed that it knows nothing about a Vatican peace plan for Ukraine. "We know that the Pope is constantly thinking about peace and how to end this…

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Don’t shut door on foreigners, migrants, Pope Francis says in Hungary

BUDAPEST, April 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday presided over a big outdoor Mass where he urged Hungarians not to close the door on migrants and those who are…

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Pope Francis heads to Hungary with Ukraine, migration top of the agenda

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - Pope Francis leaves on Friday on a three-day trip to Hungary, where the war in Ukraine, migration and Europe's Christian roots are expected…

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Ukraine PM invites Pope to visit, discussed peace formula at Vatican talks

ROME, April 27 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday he had invited Pope Francis to visit Ukraine and that he had discussed Kyiv's formula for peace…

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Roma pilgrims seek just ‘one glimpse’ of Pope Francis at Hungary Mass

BUDAPEST, April 24 (Reuters) - When Pope Francis visited Hungary two years ago, Roma pilgrim Csaba Kovesi, accompanied by a cross blessed by Francis and Pope John Paul II, drove…

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Pope Francis plans to visit his native Argentina in 2024

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who has not visited his home country Argentina since he left for the Vatican a decade ago, said he planned to visit in 2024,…

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Pope presents shards from cross of Christ for King Charles’ coronation

LONDON (Reuters) - Pope Francis has gifted fragments believed to be from the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified to form part of a new processional cross which will…

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Pope Francis calls ‘insinuations’ against John Paul II unfounded

VATICAN CITY, April 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday rejected as offensive and unfounded what he called insinuations by the brother of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40…

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After bronchitis, cold weather forces Pope to skip Via Crucis at the Colosseum

By Philip Pullella and Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis presided at one indoor service on Good Friday, but doctors ordered him to skip an outdoor evening "Way of…

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On Holy Thursday, healthy-looking Pope urges priests to shun disunity

VATICAN CITY, April 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, appearing fully recovered from a bout with bronchitis, on Thursday began an intense four days leading to Easter urging priests to avoid…

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Pope says pension systems must not weigh on future generations

VATICAN CITY, April 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday said future generations must not be overloaded with the cost of today's pension systems, in apparent support for reform at…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis attends Palm Sunday service after hospital stay

VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis led a Palm Sunday service the day after he was discharged from hospital following a bout of bronchitis, and urged the world…

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Pope Francis to lead Palm Sunday services day after leaving hospital

Pope Francis will lead Mass in St Peter's Square on Sunday as he kicks off events leading to Easter, just a day after leaving hospital. He was admitted to Rome's…

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Pope Francis: What do we know about his health problems?

Pope in hospital for second time in two years Vatican plays down health concerns Bad knee, bowel ailment take their toll VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - While the Vatican has looked…

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UPDATED: Pope to leave hospital Saturday – Vatican

By Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini Pontiff was hospitalised unexpectedly on Wednesday Vatican says he has respiratory infection Illness comes ahead of busy Holy Week starting on Sunday Pope Francis…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis getting better, hospital treatment continues – statement

VATICAN CITY, March 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis's health is improving after he was hospitalised with a respiratory infection and he has resumed working while treatment continues, Vatican spokesman Matteo…

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Pope urges ‘respect’ for Orthodox monastery facing eviction in Kyiv

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for "respect" of religious sites in Ukraine, as he mentioned the monastery from which the Russian-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is facing eviction.…

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Pope Francis: His 10 years in numbers

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Here are some statistics about Pope Francis, who on Monday marks the 10th anniversary of his election as head of the 1.38-billion-member Roman Catholic Church. The…

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Pope Francis’ papacy in his own words

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Below are some memorable quotes from Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13. The quotes are arranged according…

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The life and times of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary as pontiff

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis marks 10th anniversary with Mass and podcast

VATICAN CITY, March 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican's…

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Pope says Ukraine war fuelled not just by ‘Russian empire’

VATICAN CITY, March 10 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine is driven by the interests of several "empires" and not just of Russia's, Pope Francis said in an interview published…

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Stop human traffickers, Pope Francis says after Italy’s migrant shipwreck

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week's migrant…

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Late Pope Benedict’s top aide to be given a new job

ROME, (Reuters) - Pope Francis will decide on a new role for German Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, a critic of the pontiff who was the long-term senior aide to his predecessor…

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Vatican: Pope Francis has bad cold

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis is suffering from a heavy cold. The Feb. 23 message said that due to a “strong cold,” the pope distributed copies of his…

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Pope Francis again turns screws on use of traditional Latin Mass

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Tuesday further tightened the screws on Catholic conservatives over the use of traditional Latin Mass, rebuking bishops who had allowed it to be…

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Popes are for life, resignations should not become a fashion, Francis says

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said that pontiffs resigning instead of ruling for life should not become a "fashion" in the Roman Catholic Church and happen only in…

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Pope says Church conservatives exploited death of ex-pope Benedict

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said some in the conservative wing of the Roman Catholic Church had exploited the death of the former pope,…

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Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a ‘sin’ and an injustice

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday that laws criminalising LGBT people are a sin and an injustice because God loves and accompanies people with same-sex…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis wraps up South Sudan trip, urges end to ‘blind fury’ of violence

Pope ends visits to DR Congo, South Sudan Celebrates open-air Mass in Juba Urges people of South Sudan to end violence In first, Anglican leader joined pope in S.Sudan JUBA,…

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Pope wraps up Congo visit, heads to volatile South Sudan

Pope received vibrant welcome in Kinshasa Addressed DR Congo's struggles with war, exploitation Now heads to predominantly Christian South Sudan Archbishop of Canterbury joins for South Sudan leg KINSHASA, Feb…

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Shun ethnic rivalry and corruption, Pope tells African youth

KINSHASA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday urged young people in Democratic Republic of Congo to forge a new future without the ethnic rivalry, corruption and distrust that…

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Pope Francis urges mutual forgiveness to end Congo conflict

By Philip Pullella and Paul Lorgerie More than a million attend huge open-air Mass Pope calls for amnesty of the heart to end violence Asks Christians involved in conflicts to…

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‘Hands off Africa,’ Pope Francis tells rich world

By Philip Pullella and Paul Lorgerie Pope begins trip to DR Congo and South Sudan Francis to meet victims of war in Congo Trip postponed from July due to pope's…

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Pope calls for Israel, Palestinians to halt “spiral of death”

(Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on Israel and the Palestinians to engage in dialogue in pursuit of peace, deploring the recent violence in the region. Speaking after the…

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It shouldn’t seem so surprising when the pope says being gay ‘isn’t a crime’ – a Catholic theologian explains

by Steven P. Millies -Professor of Public Theology and Director of The Bernardin Center, Catholic Theological Union Once again, Pope Francis has called on Catholics to welcome and accept LGBTQ…

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Pope says marriage is between man and woman, basis of the family

ANSA - Christian marriage is that of a man to a woman and the family is based on this, Pope Francis said as he received in audience officials of the…

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Pope condemns Holocaust denial

VATICAN CITY, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned Holocaust denial, as Australia came under pressure to refuse a visa to American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye…

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Pope Francis says being gay is a sin but ‘not a crime’, praises Benedict as a “gentleman”

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome…

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Pope’s Congo visit seeks to heal ‘still bleeding’ wounds, envoy says

KINSHASA, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo will remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts that have beset the mineral-rich nation and…

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Pope calls missile attack on Ukraine apartment building heartbreaking

VATICAN CITY, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the Russian missile strike on an apartment building that killed 45 people, including young children, in the eastern Ukrainian…

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Pell wrote secret memo calling Francis’ papacy ‘catastrophe’,

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The late conservative Australian Cardinal George Pell was the author of an anonymous memo condemning Pope Francis' papacy as a "catastrophe" where political correctness held sway…

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Pope Francis meets Benedict’s top aide as memoir rattles Vatican

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday privately met Archbishop Georg Ganswein, former Pope Benedict's closest aide, who has rattled the Vatican with a…

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Pope Francis could be ousted in ‘secret plan’ by Vatican hardliners

Vatican conservatives are waging a “secret plan” to put Pope Francis under such stress that he resigns, it has been claimed. The campaign against the Argentinian pontiff began just days…

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Benedict’s death clears path for Pope Francis to retire of old age in future

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Six months ago Pope Francis brushed off speculation he was about to resign due to health problems, but even if he had toyed…

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Pope Francis in 2013 signed resignation letter in case of bad health

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis revealed in a interview published earlier in December that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if…

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Alarm among Catholics over ‘very sick’ Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Francis has visited his predecessor Benedict XVI as the Vatican said that the 95-year-old former pope's health worsened on Wednesday morning. Francis described Benedict as being "very sick" during…

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Pope Francis renews wish for peace in war-torn world

Addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square after praying the Angelus on Monday, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for peace in the world, especially those suffering from war in…

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World is starving for peace, Pope Francis says in Christmas message

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in his Christmas message on Sunday, saying the world was suffering from…

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Remember the war weary and the poor, pope urges on Christmas Eve

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday led the world's Catholics into Christmas, saying in an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine and other conflicts that the level…

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Pope in 2013 signed resignation letter in case of bad health

ROME (Reuters) -Pope Francis revealed in a new interview published on Sunday that after he was elected in 2013 he signed a letter of resignation to be used if someday…

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Pope Francis celebrates 86th birthday by honouring 3 charitable persons

On Saturday, the day of his 86th birthday, Pope Francis will present an expression of his gratitude to three people who offer their lives for the poorest of the poor.…

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