Pope Francis

The pope and the president share liberal stances on climate change and economic disparity. A theology scholar argues U.S. Catholic Church leadership is increasingly allied with the political right.

Many Iraqis — Christian and Muslim — say they are excited about the first papal visit to the country, raising hopes of religious tolerance in the face of extremist violence.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Robert Sarah as head of the Vatican's liturgy department. The Vatican did not provide a reason for the removal of the outspoken conservative.

In remarks at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol and urged Americans to come together for the "common good."

"Vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy of all regions of the planet," Pope Francis said at the Vatican on a subdued Christmas Day.

Only 100 or so people attended the service, and they wore masks and socially distanced. The Mass began two hours early so all could make it home before Italy's virus curfew.

The Vatican said it's permitted to get COVID-19 vaccines due to the "grave danger" of the pandemic, even if scientists used "cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process."

People who claim that mask mandates deprive them of their personal freedom, Francis says, are "victims only in their own imagination." The book also addresses demonstrations against racial injustice.

The report on the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked last year, states that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were aware of the accusations of sexual misconduct.

Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who will be the first Black American Catholic cardinal, talks about the historic nature of his position, the political issues that inform his work in the church and more.

"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," the pope said in an interview in the film Francesco, which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.

Italian police arrested a woman linked to a cardinal fired by Pope Francis, the latest development in an investigation into alleged financial crimes involving the Vatican.