Pope Francis

UPDATED: Pope appeals to politicians to avert threat of nuclear war over Ukraine

May God lead us onto a lasting peace path in Ukraine, Pope Francis told his weekly general audience on Wednesday. "Let's not forget to pray, to continue with prayer for…

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As Macron meets Pope Francis, abuse victims urge swifter reparations

PARIS (Reuters) - A group of victims of sexual abuse says the Catholic church is reacting too slowly to a report revealing assaults by French clergy on more than 200,000…

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Pope appeals for peace in Ethiopia, prays for unity in Italy

Pope Francis on Sunday (October 24) offered his prayers for Ethiopia ahead of peace talks to be held in South Africa. "Once again, I heartily reiterate that violence does not…

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Pope urges UN reform

Pope Francis said the need to reform the United Nations was "more than obvious" after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war exposed its limits, in an extract of his…

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UPDATED: Pope Francis condemns ‘relentless bombings’ of Ukrainian cities

VATICAN CITY, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned Russia's "relentless bombings" of Ukrainian cities, saying the attacks had unleashed a "hurricane of violence" on residents. Speaking to…

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The Pope visits Assisi

Pope Francis is visting the Italian town of Assisi for an Economy of Francesco event on Saturday, and city of Matera for the conclusion of the 27th National Eucharistic Congress…

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Pope says Ukraine subjected to savageness, monstrosities, torture

VATICAN CITY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday that Ukrainians were being subjected to savageness, monstrosities and torture, calling them a "noble" people being martyred. Speaking at…

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Pope says supplying weapons to Ukraine is morally acceptable for self defence

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said it was morally legitimate for nations to supply weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself from Russian aggression. Speaking…

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Photo Story: Pope Francis apostolic visit to Kazakhstan comes to an end

Pope Francis (C) is surrounded by well-wishers during a meeting with representatives of the clergy and parishioners in the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, 15 September…

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God does not back war, pope says in apparent criticism of Russian patriarch

NUR-SULTAN , Sept 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday that God does not guide religions towards war, an implicit criticism of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who backs the…

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Taxes can be key to social justice, Pope tells business leaders

VATICAN CITY, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Taxes are "an often misunderstood" tool of social justice and should not be seen as an example of a government overstepping its powers, Pope…

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Popes who resign are humble, Francis says in central Italy visit

L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who has often said he may step down in the future if bad health impedes him from leading the Catholic Church, on Sunday praised…

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Pope visit to Italian city spotlights need for rules on ex-pontiffs

VATICAN CITY, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has quashed rumours that he plans to resign anytime soon but his planned visit on Sunday to the Italian city of L'Aquila…

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UPDATED: Pope says will visit N.Korea if he receives invitation

SEOUL, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has asked for an invitation from North Korea to visit the isolated country, South Korean broadcaster KBS reported. "I will go there as soon as…

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Pope and Russian Orthodox patriarch to avoid each other during Kazakh visit

Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox church, who backs the war in Ukraine, will not meet when both men attend a gathering of religious leaders in Kazakhstan…

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Pope Francis, slowing down as he ages, appoints personal medical assistant

Pope Francis has appointed a nurse from the Vatican's health services to be his "personal medical assistant", the Vatican said on Thursday, in an indication that the pontiff accepts that…

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Pope says hearing pain of Canada school survivors felt like slaps

VATICAN CITY, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday he felt the pain of survivors of Canada's residential school system "like slaps" and that the Catholic Church has…

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Pope to visit Kazakhstan, may meet Russian Orthodox patriarch

Pope Francis will attend a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan in September, the Vatican said on Monday, a gathering where he has said previously he hoped to meet with…

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Pope Francis: perhaps it is time for him to retire – here’s what could mean for the future of the papacy

by Jan Machielsen - Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History, History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University Pope Francis was recently forced to deny rumours that he was about to retire,…

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Pope says that with frailty and age, he is in new phase of papacy

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, July 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that his advancing age and his difficulty walking have ushered in a new, slower phase of his…

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Pope says genocide took place at Church schools in Canada for indigenous children

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, July 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that what happened at residential schools that the Roman Catholic and other Christian Churches ran to forcefully…

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Pope again asks for forgiveness as tour ends in Canada’s north

Pope Francis again asked for forgiveness after meeting on Friday with residential school survivors in the Arctic territory of Nunavut, the last stop in his six-day visit to Canada to…

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Pope denounces historical oppression of Canadian indigenous

QUEBEC CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis told indigenous leaders on his last day of his Canadian visit that he was pained that Catholics had supported "oppressive and unjust policies" against them. The…

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Protest over 15th-century land grab doctrine interrupts papal Mass in Canada

(Reuters) - Indigenous activists unfurled a banner demanding Pope Francis rescind 15th-century papal edicts justifying colonialism at a Mass he presided over Thursday, thrusting the doctrine to the forefront of his apology…

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UPDATED: Pope, winding up Canada trip, visits historic churches

QUEBEC CITY, July 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday visits two of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in North America as he winds up a trip to Canada centred…

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Pope: Church must take institutional blame for harm done to indigenous Canadians

LAC STE. ANNE, Alberta, (Reuters) - Pope Francis said the Roman Catholic Church should accept institutional blame for the harm done to indigenous Canadians in residential schools that tried to…

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Pope arrives in Canada on tour of ‘penance’ for indigenous abuse

EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) -Pope Francis landed in Canada on Sunday to kick off a week-long trip that will center around his apology on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church for the…

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UPDATED: Pope, starting Canada trip, says he has ‘great desire’ to visit Kyiv

EDMONTON, Alberta / ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, July 24 (Reuters) - Pope Francis landed in Canada on Sunday to kick off a five-day trip that will center around his apology…

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Pope hopes Canada trip will help heal ‘evil’ done to indigenous people

(Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday his trip to Canada next week will be a "pilgrimage of penance" that he hopes can help heal the wrongs done to indigenous…

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Pope names women to bishops advisory committee for first time

Vatican City, July 13 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has named three women, two nuns and a laywoman, to a previously all-male committee that advises him in selecting the world's bishop's,…

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Pope talks about possible retirement plans

Pope Francis discussed what he might do if he were to abdicate like his predecessor Benedict XVI did. In an interview with Mexican-American TV channel TelevisaUnivision, Francis said he would…

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Pope expresses solidarity with people of Sri Lanka

VATICAN CITY, July 10 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday expressed solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka who "continue to suffer from political and economic instability" and appealed for…

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Pope to visit Assisi and Matera Sep 24 and 25

Pope Francis will visit Assisi and Matera on September 24 and 25, to take part in separate events, the Vatican said Friday.His trip to the Umbrian capital and shrine to…

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Pope hopes London building last Vatican financial scandal

VATICAN CITY, (Reuters) - Pope Francis said he hoped that the recent sale of a luxury London building at the centre of an ongoing corruption trial meant the Vatican can…

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Pope to give women a say in appointment of bishops

VATICAN CITY, July 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said he wants to give women more top-level positions in the Holy See and disclosed that for the first time he would…

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Pope Francis denies he is planning to resign soon

VATICAN CITY, July 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has dismissed reports that he plans to resign in the near future, saying he is on track to visit Canada this month…

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Pope apologises for having to cancel Africa trip

VATICAN CITY, June 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis apologised to the people of Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan on Sunday for having to cancel his visit because of…

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Pope postpones Africa trip due to knee problems

Trip to Congo, South Sudan put off 'until further notice' Pope Francis has decided to puts off a trip to Africa due to knee problems, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said…

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UPDATED: Common commitment to ending Ukraine war say Pope, von der Leyen

A handout picture provided by the Press Office Vatican Media shows Pope Francis (R) receiving in audience European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in Vatican City, 10 June 2022.…

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Pope says he will meet Ukraine officials to discuss possible trip

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday he would meet soon with Ukrainian officials to discuss the possibility of a visit to their country. Francis disclosed the coming…

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Photo Story: Heart-warming meeting for Pope Francis at the Vatican

Pope Francis hugs a Ukrainian refugee during a meeting with about 160 children, many with physical, visual, and cognitive disabilities, from the Sant'Alessio - Margherita di Savoia school in Rome,…

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Wheat can’t be ‘weapon of war’, Pope says in urging lifting of Ukraine blockade

VATICAN CITY, June 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis appealed to authorities on Wednesday to lift a block on exports of wheat from Ukraine, saying the grain could not be used as a…

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Pope’s July visit to Africa to go ahead despite health issues

Pope Francis is set to make a gruelling trip to two African countries in July despite knee problems that have forced him to use a cane and wheelchair in recent…

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Bono and the Pope harmonize on climate change, girls’ education

They didn't sing together but U2 frontman Bono and Pope Francis were in harmony about their concern for the planet and the power of women to change the world when…

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Pope uses wheelchair in public for first time since recent knee pain began

VATICAN CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis used a wheelchair in public on Thursday for the first time since a new flare-up of pain in his knee has limited…

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Kremlin says no agreement reached on possible meeting between Putin and Pope Francis

May 4 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that no agreement had been reached on a possible meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis for talks about Ukraine.…

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Pope says Mariupol ‘barbarously bombarded,’ implicitly criticising Russia

VATICAN CITY, May 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday described the war in Ukraine as a "macabre regression of humanity" that makes him "suffer and cry", calling for humanitarian…

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Limping Pope again appeals for peace in Ukraine

VATICAN CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - A badly limping Pope Francis again appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, as he held his general audience a…

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Pope calls for Orthodox Easter truce in Ukraine war

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis called for halt to attacks in Ukraine on Sunday so aid can reach the exhausted population and urged leaders to "listen to the voice of…

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Ukrainian soldiers hold out in Mariupol, Pope laments ‘Easter of War’

KYIV, April 17 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers resisted a Russian ultimatum to lay down arms on Sunday in the pulverised port of Mariupol, which Moscow said its forces had almost completely seized…

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On ‘Easter of war,’ Pope implicitly criticises Russia over Ukraine

VATICAN CITY, April 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, marking an "Easter of war" on Sunday urged leaders to hear the people's plea for peace in Ukraine and implicitly criticised Russia…

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Ukrainians want Russians removed from Pope’s Good Friday Via Crucis

VATICAN CITY, April 13 (Reuters) - The Vatican's decision to have both Ukrainians and Russians take part in Pope Francis' "Way of the Cross" procession on Friday has caused friction…

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Pope says war in Ukraine was marked by “the forces of evil”

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine was marked by “the forces of evil” because it was leaving in its wake abominations such…

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Connecting With The Pope, Also Thanks To GO’s TrueFibre; GO network supported complex security and surveillance requirements

Pope Francis’ visit required complex and detailed planning to meet the high security expectations and connectivity requirements in the multiple sites that he visited, as well as to support the…

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