Pope

Now that Pope Francis has OK'd priests blessing same-sex couples, LGBTQ+ Catholics are figuring out how to ask for these blessings and whether they want them.

"The pope is well. He's better than before,'' said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who performed the 86-year-old pontiff's operation on June 7.

The pope underwent "a laparotomy and abdominal wall surgery under general anesthesia" on Wednesday, the Holy See's official news portal says. The pope had complained of abdominal pain on Tuesday.

Bells tolled Thursday for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who made history by retiring, as thousands of mourners packed St. Peter's Square.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 's body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday as thousands of people filed by to pay tribute to the pontiff who shocked the world by retiring a decade ago.

Recalling Jesus' birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those "ravenous" for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty and greedy consumerism.

Pope Francis has revealed in an interview published Sunday that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from doing his duties.