
The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?
Pope Francis' fascination with the devil took on remarkable new twists Tuesday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped "liberate" a ...

Pope leads pep rally at Vatican, meets with Merkel
Pope Francis lamented that investment losses by banks trigger more alarm in the economic crisis than the struggle of people to feed their families, ...

Vatican re-enters art world with Venice Biennale
The Vatican is getting back into its centuries-old tradition of arts patronage with its first-ever exhibit at the Venice Biennale, commissioning a ...

Rios Montt: From army to dictatorship to courtroom
Efrain Rios Montt ruled as Guatemala's dictator, served as president of Congress, preached as an evangelical pastor and now, at 86, has become the ...

2 popes praying: Egyptian Copt and Pope Francis
Two popes prayed together Friday at the Vatican, one Catholic and one Orthodox, in a sign of improving ties following the election of new leaders for ...
Senate OKs honor for Birmingham bombing victims
Four victims of a deadly Alabama church bombing at the height of the civil rights movement are now just a presidential signature away from receiving ...

Leftist priests: Francis can fix church 'in ruins'
A new pope from Latin America known for ministering to the poor in his country's slums is raising the hopes of advocates of liberation theology, whose ...
House OKs honoring Birmingham, Ala., victims
Four young victims of a deadly Alabama church bombing that marked one of the darkest moments of the civil rights movement are one step closer to ...

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 ...

Ex-bishop's widow wants optional priestly celibacy
She uses a wheelchair and carries the weight of her 87 years, but Clelia Luro feels powerful enough to make the Roman Catholic Church pay attention ...

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, ...

Poland unveils giant statue of John Paul II
A giant statue of the late Pope John Paul II billed as the world's tallest has been unveiled in southern Poland. Archbishop Waclaw Depo unveiled the ...

Survivor of '63 Ala. church bombing seeks funds
The lone survivor of a 1963 Alabama church bombing that killed four black girls said Wednesday she wants millions in compensation for her injuries and ...

Giant John Paul II statue readied for unveiling
Workers are putting the finishing touches on a new statue of the late Pope John Paul II that its backer is calling the tallest one of the pontiff in ...

Francis honors John Paul II before installation
Pope Francis was formally installed as bishop of Rome on Sunday in a ceremony characterized by more simplicity than the usual ritual and pomp enjoyed ...

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 Francis still has most of his right lung
Does the pope have only one lung? Despite erroneous reports that Pope Francis has lived most of his life with just one lung, the surgery actually only ...

Pope reluctant to be pope: What does it mean?
He still goes by "Bergoglio" when speaking to friends, seems reluctant to call himself pope and has decided to live in the Vatican hotel rather than ...

Pope Francis forces Argentine political about-face
Catholic doctrine considers the pope to be God's delegate on Earth. That alone might explain the remarkable about-face that Argentina's populist ...

''Unpredictable" pope worries security team
Forgive Pope Francis' security team for looking a bit nervous. One pope was shot in St. Peter's Square while riding in an open vehicle. Another was ...
Zimbabwe's president calls for African papal visit
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says he wants Pope Francis to visit Africa because he is "a man of God who will be praying for all of us, praying ...

Challenge for pope in Europe's dwindling church
The church is made of rusty steel beams separated by gaps, and its austere beauty won it an international prize. Yet the eerie desolation of the ...

Pope installation draws world, religious leaders
Pope Francis' diplomatic skills will be put to the test on Tuesday as he hosts political leaders from 130 nations and religious representatives from ...

Orthodox patriarch to Rome for pope's installation
Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, will attend Pope Francis' installation Mass — the first time a patriarch from ...