Pope Francis

Police in the Australian state of Victoria have announced sexual abuse charges against Cardinal George Pell, the pope's finance chief. At the Vatican on Thursday, Pell said he would return to Australia to fight the charges.

Vatican Cardinal Charged With 'Historic Sexual Offenses' In Australia

5:18pm June 29, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Police in the state of Victoria announced charges against Cardinal George Pell, who was a priest there in the 1970s. Now the pope's finance chief, Pell said he looks forward to clearing his name.

Pope Francis exchanges gifts with President Trump and his wife, Melania, at the Vatican on Wednesday.

'We Can Use Peace,' President Trump Says After Exchanging Gifts With Pope

1:46pm May 24, 2017

by Sylvia Poggioli

The president made the remark after the pope presented him with a medallion featuring an olive branch. "I give this to you so that you can be an instrument of peace," the pope told him.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.

'He Is Something': Trump Visits Pope Francis At The Vatican

1:05pm May 24, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Wednesday's meeting, which focused on pursuing peace, comes a year after the pope suggested that Trump "is not Christian" because of his plan for a U.S-Mexico border wall.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo.(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Pope Francis Winds Up Trip To Egypt

11:43am April 29, 2017

by Jim Kane

Military helicopters flew overhead as the Pope celebrated Mass for some 15 thousand Catholics in a stadium.

Pope Francis speaks in a video at the TED2017 conference Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia. The audience gave him a standing ovation after the talk, which stressed the importance of humility among the powerful.

In Surprise TED Talk, Pope Francis Asks The Powerful For 'Revolution Of Tenderness'

3:36pm April 26, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The pontiff's message seemed to be directed at the audience in the room. "The more powerful you are," he said, "the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don't, your power will ruin you."

Marie Collins attends a press conference at the Vatican in May 2014. The prominent survivor of abuse by a priest has resigned her position on Pope Francis' commission to combat clerical sex abuse, citing her frustration with resistance from within the Vat

Survivor Quits Pope's Panel On Sex Abuse, Citing 'Shameful' Resistance

4:38pm March 01, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Marie Collins, who was the only survivor of abuse active on the panel, said Pope Francis was sincere in establishing the panel — but that others in the Vatican have refused to cooperate.

Anti-Pope Francis posters appeared in Rome last week, with a message in a Roman street dialect saying, "Hey, Frank, you took over Congregations, suspended priests, decapitated the Order of Malta and the Franciscans of The Immaculate, ignored Cardinals...

Steve Bannon Aligns With Vatican Hard-Liners Who Oppose Pope Francis

6:52pm February 08, 2017

by Sylvia Poggioli

Bannon has made common cause with those in the Vatican who resist the pope's liberal moves. Francis' supporters worry that after Trump's victory, the pope is a lonely progressive on the global stage.

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Pope Francis Reiterates Support For Public Breast-Feeding

10:50am January 09, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church encouraged mothers to breast-feed their infants during a baptism ceremony for 28 babies on Sunday in the Sistine Chapel.

For Pope Francis, A Year Of Reconciliation Abroad Amid Opposition At Home

12:12pm December 25, 2016

by Sylvia Poggioli

The pope worked to repair relations within the Christian world, but things were tougher in the Catholic world. A church historian says no other pope has met as much opposition from bishops and clergy.

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Pope Francis speaks to Vatican employees on Thursday.

Pope Francis Outlines More Reforms, And Addresses Powerful Church Critics

4:37pm December 22, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

In his Christmas address to Vatican employees, the leader of the Catholic Church called for more laypersons and women in positions of power and said resistance to change came from misguided minds.