Apr 21 How Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s teaching in areas such as the death penalty and nuclear weapons. But he upheld it in other areas, such as abortion and celibacy for priests. Continue reading
Apr 04 Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, defrocked due to sex abuse allegations, dies at age 94 By David Crary, Associated Press Theodore McCarrick, a once-powerful Catholic cardinal who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he had molested adults and children, has died. Continue reading
Mar 15 Pope works on signature reform from hospital as he enters 5th week of pneumonia treatment By Colleen Barry, Associated Press Working from the hospital, Pope Francis has approved a three-year implementation and evaluation process for his reform project that aims to make the church a more welcoming and responsive place. Continue reading
Feb 26 Pope Francis sits upright in an armchair as he is treated for double pneumonia, Argentines in Rome pray for his recovery By Nicole Winfield, Trisha Thomas, Silvia Stellacci, Associated Press The Vatican hopes to have information later Wednesday about the results of a CT scan taken Tuesday evening to check on the status of the complex lung infection. Continue reading
Feb 25 Pope’s health crisis sparks prayers from thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square By Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press Thousands of people have gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions. Continue reading
Jan 08 Pope Francis names first woman to head major Vatican office By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis has named the first woman to head a major Vatican office. He is appointing Sister Simona Brambilla, an Italian nun, to become prefect of the Vatican department responsible for all the church's religious orders. Continue reading
Oct 06 Pope names 21 new cardinals, expanding pool of electors who will one day pick his successor By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor. Continue reading
Sep 29 Wrapping up Belgium visit, Pope doubles down on his views and calls abortion doctors ‘hitmen’ By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Pope Francis revisited thorny topics of his trip to Belgium during his in-flight press conference coming home, praising Belgium’s late King Baudouin as a “saint” for having abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than sign legislation legalizing abortion. Continue reading
Sep 10 How East Timor’s turnout to see Pope Francis compares with other papal Masses By Associated Press An estimated 600,000 people packed a seaside park in East Timor for Pope Francis' Mass — a figure nearing half of the small Southeast Asian country's population. Continue reading
Aug 31 Catholic diocese sues federal agencies over green card backlog for foreign-born priests By Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press For more than a year, religious organizations have lobbied Congress and the Biden administration to fix a sudden procedural change in how the government processes green cards for religious workers, which threatens the ability of thousands of them to continue to… Continue reading