Jun 18 Pope’s message to the world: Save the Earth By Larisa Epatko In a highly anticipated encyclical, or public letter, Pope Francis issued a call to action to save the planet and backed scientists who say climate change is real and mostly caused by humans. Continue reading
Apr 16 Watch 4:26 Under Pope Francis, Vatican changes its tone toward American nuns By PBS News Hour The Vatican ended its crackdown on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the major umbrella group for American nuns. Under the previous pope, an investigation and overhaul was launched against the group for straying from church teachings. To discuss the… Continue watching
Feb 14 Cardinals from Myanmar, Ethiopia among 20 elevated by Pope Francis By Carey Reed Pope Francis reemphasized the need for humility and a sense of justice among Catholic church leaders during a ceremony Saturday to name 20 new cardinals. Continue reading
Dec 22 Watch 5:08 Pope Francis uses Christmas greeting to chide church officials for greed, gossip and getting ahead By PBS News Hour In remarks for Christmas before the Roman Curia, Pope Francis delivered a scathing review of the behavior of Vatican officials, decrying the "spiritual Alzheimers" that makes them forget their real purpose. Gwen Ifill talks to Kevin Eckstrom of the Religion… Continue watching
Oct 18 Catholic bishops nix pro-gay language from synod document in sign of split By Rialda Zukic Catholic bishops reversed on Saturday their initial welcome of gays, showing deep divisions on homosexuality and marriage at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis. Continue reading
Oct 05 Pope Francis to bishops, cardinals: Work with ‘humble creativity’ By Rialda Zukic Pope Francis has called for a more humble approach on the Catholic Church's handling of matters such as divorce, pre-marital sex and contraception. Continue reading
May 26 Pope completes spiritual pilgrimage in Holy Land calling for unity and peace By Ellen Rolfes While the pope's spokesman said that Francis had "no political agenda or proposals to make" during his trip to Israel, Francis' presence in the Holy Land, in Palestinian territory and Jerusalem, was filled with political implications. Continue reading
May 24 Watch Pope Francis stresses commonalities in trip to Middle East By PBS News Hour Pope Francis met with King Abdullah in Jordan Saturday on the first day of a three-day tour of the Middle East, stressing the relationships between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This is only the fourth visit of a pope to the… Continue watching
Apr 25 Watch Politics, miracles and the process of picking a modern saint By PBS News Hour Pope Francis has chosen two iconic 20th century popes to be canonized. Jeffrey Brown gets reaction and background from Patricia McGuire of Trinity Washington University and John Allen of The Boston Globe on the political motives behind the pairing, the… Continue watching
Apr 25 Watch Pilgrims gather at the Vatican to witness canonization of two popes By PBS News Hour Continue watching