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Pope wades into crowds, surprising onlookers
Walking up to crowds, shaking hands with surprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches with off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis ...
St. Peter's Square springs to life with new pope
You don't need to be Catholic to be awe-struck by the majesty of St. Peter's Square, which becomes the stage for the world during times of papal ...
US clergy victims make demands of new pope
Most Roman Catholics are rejoicing at the election of Pope Francis, but alleged victims of clergy abuse in the U.S. are demanding swift and bold ...
Pope Francis reaches out to Jews
Like his predecessor, Pope Francis reached out to Rome's Jewish community at the very start of his pontificate, pledging to continue to strengthen the ...
Pope visits ailing Argentine cardinal in hospital
Pope Francis on Friday made a surprise visit to a Rome hospital to cheer up a fellow Argentine, a cardinal who had a heart attack the day the pontiff ...
New style of papacy: Pope Francis pays hotel bill
On his first day as shepherd of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis picked up his luggage at a Vatican hotel, personally thanked each ...
New pope's views bind simplicity with 'complexity'
At gatherings of Latin American bishops, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was often a star speaker about economic inequities in a profit-driven world.
The Jesuits, veterans of tense times with Vatican
While the Vatican has picked the highly disciplined Jesuits as advance men for planning papal pilgrimages and to run its worldwide broadcasting ...
Pope Francis: Simple image, complex past
On the streets in Buenos Aires, the stories about the cardinal who would become the first pope from the Americas often include a very ordinary ...
Argentine Jorge Bergoglio elected Pope Francis
From "the end of the earth," the Catholic Church found a surprising new leader Wednesday, a pioneer pope from Argentina who took the name Francis, a ...
POPE LIVE: Around the world as a new pope emerges
"Pope Live" follows the choice of the new pope as seen by journalists from The Associated Press around the world. It will be updated throughout the ...
First steps on becoming a pope
The pomp surrounding his selection was just the beginning of an exceptionally busy few days for Pope Francis. A look at the first night — and what ...
Rodman backs black papal candidate in PR stunt
After raising eyebrows by going to North Korea, former U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman is continuing his bizarre global tour by visiting Rome — ...
Black smoke from chapel chimney: No pope yet
This time there was no doubt. There was no new pope yet, and the mystery of who — and when — was as thick as the unmistakable heavy black smoke ...
US-based 'Pope TV' to zero in on papal selection
A global broadcasting operation based in Alabama is offering a different kind of news coverage of the election of a new pope. Nestled among the ...
O'Malley, the 'cappuccino priest,' a hit in Rome
The archbishop of Boston, dressed more often in the humble brown robe of his religious order than a cardinal's regalia, has emerged as an unlikely ...
Berlusconi lawyers seek to delay sex-for-hire case
Silvio Berlusconi's judicial woes weighed on Italy's political future on Monday as prosecutors requested an accelerated trial of the former premier ...
2 Italian soldiers won't return to India for trial
Two Italian marines facing murder charges in India won't be returned there for trial, the Italian Foreign Ministry said Monday. The sailors, who were ...
As conclave approaches, Benedict XVI out of sight
As cardinals move to elect a new pope, the Vatican has seemed intent on getting people to forget the last one. Benedict XVI's papacy ended last month ...
Quirky facts about papal conclaves
LONGEST CONCLAVE: In 1268, a conclave began that lasted nearly three years — 33 months to be exact. Pope Gregory X was elected pope, but not before ...
Cardinals say Mass, seek prayers ahead of conclave
Cardinals took a break from maneuvering ahead of this week's papal conclave to fan out across Rome and celebrate Sunday Mass at local parishes.
Rome braces for conclave crowd control challenge
You're expecting hundreds of thousands of guests. You don't know where they're coming from, or when they'll arrive. You don't even know the date of ...
Top contenders to be the next pope
Cardinals from around the world gather this week in a conclave to elect a new pope following the stunning resignation of Benedict XVI. In the ...
Hungarian cardinal's parents defied communism
He's the son of a deeply religious couple who defied communist repression to practice their faith. And if elected pope, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo ...