Pope Francis

Pope urges release of hostages and humanitarian aid access in Gaza

VATICAN CITY, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday renewed his calls for the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into…

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Biden and Pope Francis discuss Israel and Gaza in a call

By Kanishka Singh and Crispian Balmer WASHINGTON/VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis on Sunday and discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between…

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Pope Francis may attend global climate talks in Dubai

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Pope Francis may attend the COP28 climate conference starting next month in Dubai, Vatican sources say, to drive home his recent…

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Pope Francis calls for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza

VATICAN CITY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza and again appealed for the release of hostages held…

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Pope Francis cements legacy, stamps Church future with new cardinals

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday further cemented his legacy, elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and significantly raising the percentage of…

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China liked pope’s recent overture, Beijing bishop to visit Hong Kong

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - The overture Pope Francis made to China earlier this month while he was in Mongolia was "well received" by Beijing's communist government, which…

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Pope Francis hammers home his message that Europe do more for migrants crossing the Mediterranean

By Philip Pullella MARSEILLES, France, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands…

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Pope says impeding migrant rescues at sea is ‘gesture of hate’

MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that migrants who risk drowning at sea "must be rescued," calling it "a duty of humanity, a duty of civilisation". Speaking at the…

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Pope visit to Marseille to shine light on latest EU migration crisis

By Philip Pullella and Layli Foroudi VATICAN CITY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis arrives on Friday in the French port city of Marseille for a lightning visit that will…

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Pope’s visit to France stirs debate over immigration, secularism

PARIS, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' scheduled visit to France next week has stirred debate in the French political class, with left-wing politicians criticising the president for attending Mass…

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Pope playfully spars with ‘Rocky’ actor Stallone at Vatican

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis playfully pretended to box with Sylvester Stallone during a meeting with the "Rocky" star at the Vatican on Friday. Introduced to Stallone and his…

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Argentine priests defend Pope Francis over ‘shameful’ Milei attacks

By Lucila Sigal BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Priests from poor districts in Buenos Aires held a mass on Tuesday to defend Argentine Pope Francis after radical right-wing presidential candidate Javier…

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Pope wraps up Mongolia trip, says Church not bent on conversion

By Philip Pullella ULAANBAATAR, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday wrapped up a historic trip to Mongolia whose main purpose was to visit the miniscule Catholic community but…

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In overture to China, Pope sends greetings to a ‘noble’ people

ULAANBAATAR, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday sent greetings to China, calling its citizens a "noble" people and asking Catholics in China to be "good Christians and good…

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Pope, quoting Buddha, urges religious dialogue to fight fundamentalism

By Philip Pullella ULAANBAATAR, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Calling himself one of the "humble heirs" of ancient schools of wisdom and quoting the Buddha, Pope Francis on Sunday urged all…

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With China on his mind, Pope visits tiny Catholic flock in Mongolia

Predominantly Buddhist Mongolia has just 1,450 Catholics Francis' policy is to draw attention to people on periphery Vatican has had difficult relations with China Mongolia seen as possible intermediary with…

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Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Mongolia brings attention to complex history with Christianity

Pope Francis is set to make the first-ever visit to Mongolia, a country with fewer than 1,500 Catholics, all of whom have come to the faith since 1992. But the…

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Lithuania summons Pope’s diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage

VILNIUS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican's top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs…

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Kremlin says Pope’s comments on Russian history are ‘very gratifying’

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin described as "very gratifying" comments by Pope Francis urging young Russians to remember their history, saying that the Russian state had a rich legacy and…

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Pope decries ‘terrible world war’ on environment, announces new writing

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, announcing that he will issue a new document on the protection of nature, said on Wednesday he was doing…

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Pope Francis laments “reactionary,” politicised, US Catholic Church

Pope Francis has lamented what he called a "reactionary" Catholic Church in the United States, where he said political ideology has replaced faith in some cases.In the 10 years since…

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Pope Francis pledges updates to landmark document on world environmental crisis

Pope Francis said on Monday that he was writing a follow-up to his landmark 2015 encyclical on the protection of the environment and the dangers of climate change "to bring…

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Migrant deaths at sea ‘open wound on humanity’ says pope

ANSA) - ROME, AUG 13 - The death at sea of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean in search of safety and a better life in Europe is an "open…

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Pope says Church open to everyone, including LGBT people, but has rules

By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, and that it has a duty…

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Closing youth festival in Portugal, Pope shares ‘old man’s’ dream of peace

By Philip Pullella and Catarina Demony LISBON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis closed an international festival of Catholic Youth on Sunday with a huge outdoor Mass and his own…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis at the Parish Center of Serafina

Pope Francis meets pilgrims during a meeting with representatives of some charity centres at Centro Paroquial de Serafin, in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis visited a Church-run social centre in a…

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UPDATED: Pope, arriving in Portugal, promises to ‘stir things up’

By Catarina Demony and Philip Pullella LISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves…

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Orchestra from Rio’s violent slum crosses Atlantic to play for pope

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON, July 29 (Reuters) - Born in one of the most violent slums in Rio de Janeiro, Caué Santos could have never imagined that…

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Pope to visit Marseille on Sep 22-23

Pope Francis will visit Marseille on September 22-23, the Vatican said Saturday. Francis will be in the southern French port city and second biggest city in France for the "Rencontres…

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Pope tells transgender person: ‘God loves us as we are’

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has told a young transgender person that "God loves us as we are", his latest outreach gesture towards the LGBT community. His comments, released…

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Pope Francis meets family of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

VATICAN CITY, June 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday granted an audience to the wife of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks who is behind bars in Britain and…

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Pope gives first general audience since surgery

Pope Francis gave a general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, his first since undergoing abdominal surgery to repair a hernia earlier this month. He last appeared before crowds in…

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Pope skips speech, blaming breathing difficulties after surgery

VATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis skipped reading a planned speech at a conference on Thursday, saying he still had breathing problems following a hernia operation this month.…

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Kerry meets Pope Francis privately, says he’s in great form and spirits

VATICAN CITY, June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry met Pope Francis on Monday, the first official to have a private audience with him since his discharge from…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis leaves hospital ‘in better shape than before’

By Philip Pullella ROME, June 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was discharged from hospital on Friday morning, nine days after surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, and his doctor said…

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Pope post-operative recovery progressing normally

ROME, June 11 (Reuters) - Pope Francis's post-operative recovery is progressing normally, the Vatican said in statement on Sunday, adding the pope has undergone therapy to help his breathing. Pope…

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Pope Francis is recovering from hernia surgery. But what exactly is a hernia?

Pope Francis has had an operation this week to remove a hernia, which his surgeon said had been causing him increasingly frequent pain. This planned surgery was to remove a…

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Pope recovering well from surgery but to skip Sunday blessing

VATICAN NEWS - The Holy See Press Office in its early afternoon health update on Saturday reported that the Pope's post-operative recovery continues to proceed normally. His medical team says…

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Pope ‘progressively improving,’ off I.V. tubes, moving about

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis' overall condition is progressively improving and his post-surgical recovery is normal, allowing him to get out of bed, be detached from intravenous tubes and resume…

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UPDATED: Pope out of bed and working from hospital – Vatican statement

ROME, June 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis is progressing with his post-operation recovery, the Vatican said on Friday, adding that he was able to get out of bed and do…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis spent peaceful night in hospital after surgery – Vatican

ROME, June 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was doing well on Thursday morning after his first night in hospital following abdominal surgery, the Vatican said. "The night went well," the…

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Pope Francis and his long history of health problems

ROME, June 7 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was admitted to a Rome hospital for an operation on his abdomen on Wednesday, the latest in a number of health problems for…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis to have abdominal surgery on Wednesday

VATICAN CITY, June 7 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will have surgery on his abdomen on Wednesday afternoon at Rome's Gemelli hospital, the Vatican said in a statement, adding that the…

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Pope Francis to visit Mongolia at end of August

VATICAN CITY, June 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will make an Aug. 31-Sept. 4 trip to Mongolia, one of the most far-flung places he has ever visited and which has…

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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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