
Pope to nuns: Don't be old maids
Pope Francis has told nuns from around the world that they must be spiritual mothers and not "old maids." Francis also warned the sisters against ...
Vatican, US Treasury agree to share financial data
The Vatican signed an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday to exchange financial information as part of its efforts to comply with ...
Vatican denies internal split on US nun crackdown
The Vatican on Tuesday denied there were any internal divisions over its crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns after a top Vatican ...

Pope encourages protection of children from abuse
Pope Francis is calling for courageous defense of children to protect them from abuse. Francis made no mention of the church scandals in many ...

Benedict XVI returns to Vatican for first time
Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI came home to the Vatican on Thursday for the first time since he resigned Feb. 28, beginning an unprecedented era for the ...

Benedict XVI returns to Vatican Thursday
Retired Pope Benedict XVI is coming home. The Vatican says the 86-year-old emeritus pontiff will move into his new retirement home in the Vatican ...

Argentina's 'Grandmothers' seek pope's assistance
Members of the Argentine human rights group "Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo" asked Pope Francis on Wednesday for help finding still-missing ...
Pope calls for release of 2 bishops in Syria
Pope Francis is calling for the rapid release of two bishops kidnapped by gunmen in Syria while on a humanitarian mission. Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the ...

Vatican official: Romero saint effort 'unblocked'
The Vatican official spearheading the case to make slain Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador a saint said Tuesday the process is moving forward ...

Frugal pope nixes bonus for Vatican employees
The global economic crisis is hitting Vatican employees in their cassock pockets. The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis, known for his frugal ...

Pope Francis supports crackdown on US nuns
The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis supports the Holy See's crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. nuns, dimming hopes that a Jesuit ...

Pope taps cardinals to advise on governing, reform
Pope Francis named eight cardinals from around the globe Saturday to advise him on running the Catholic Church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy, ...
A list of papal advisers on Curia reform
Pope Francis on Saturday named eight cardinals to a panel that will help advise him running the church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy, or Curia

Pope faces tough decisions as Vatican reforms loom
Pope Francis has spent much of his first month as pope charming ordinary Catholics with his ordinary yet extraordinary papal ways and making clear he ...
Pope Francis makes first Curia appointment
Pope Francis on Saturday named a Spanish Franciscan to be the No. 2 at the Vatican's office for religious orders, his first appointment to the Vatican ...

Pope seeks decisive action against sex abuse
Pope Francis directed the Vatican on Friday to act decisively on clergy sex abuse cases and punish pedophile priests, saying the Catholic Church's ...

Francis marks anniversary of John Paul II death
Pope Francis prayed Tuesday before the tomb of Pope John Paul II on the eighth anniversary of the beloved pontiff's death in what the Vatican said was ...

Pope visits St. Peter's tomb under Vatican
Pope Francis on Monday took an emotional, close-up look at the tomb of Peter, the church's first pontiff, buried beneath St. Peter's Basilica, the ...
CORRECTION: Pope's Lung
In some stories from 2005 and March 2013 about Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis last month, The Associated Press erroneously reported ...

Pope makes Easter pleas for world peace
Pope Francis marked Christianity's most joyous day with a passionate plea for world peace, celebrating his first Easter Sunday as pontiff in the ...

Official Vatican text of pope's speech
Following is the official English language translation provided by the Vatican of Pope Francis' Easter Sunday message, delivered in Italian from the ...

Pope presides over trimmed Easter Vigil service
Pope Francis celebrated a trimmed back Easter Vigil service Saturday after having reached out to Muslims and women during a Holy Week in which he ...

Shroud of Turin goes on display amid new research
The Shroud of Turin went on display for a special TV appearance Saturday amid new research disputing claims it's a medieval fake and purporting to ...

Pope's foot-wash a final straw for traditionalists
Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world's poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist ...

Pope prays at Good Friday rite recalling Mideast
Pope Francis praised the "friendship of so many Muslim brothers" during the Good Friday procession that re-enacts Jesus Christ's crucifixion and this ...