Pope Francis

Pope Francis greets Mattia Villardita, a young man in the Spider-Man costume. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis had an unusual encounter at his Wednesday audience meeting a Spider-Man impersonator who usually dons the outfit to entertain sick children. Italian Mattia Villardita, 28, has been performing in paediatric hospitals dressed as…

Spider-Man Amazing Meeting with The Pope 6/23/2021 7:23 AM PT Pope Francis may be a superhero in the Catholic church, but he came face-to-face with a guy who's a hero to children everywhere ... including kids in hospitals he visits to cheer them up. The Pope met with an amazing…

In a Sunday address at the Vatican, Pope Francis joined calls from Myanmar bishops to allow places of worship to remain “neutral spaces of refuge” and called for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors.” With the Bishops of Myanmar I plead that humanitarian corridors be allowed and that churches, pagodas, monasteries,…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Big oil companies in the United States and Europe were forced to come to terms with their role in climate change last month after shareholders, including large mutual funds and private equity firms, pressured the companies to shift their long-criticized environmental policies. The shareholder rebellions at…

Published June 20, 2021 10:06pm VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to Myanmar's military leaders to allow aid to reach displaced, hungry people who have fled fighting since the Feb. 1 coup and to respect religious sites as places of sanctuary. Speaking at his Sunday blessing to crowds…

Catholic Bishops agreed Friday to prepare a document that would restrict Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, including Joe Biden, from receiving Communion.  The measure, which had drawn objections from the Vatican and Pope Francis’ strongest allies, required only a simple majority but passed with 73 percent of the 229…

(RNS) — As the U.S. Catholic bishops conduct their semiannual meeting virtually this week, the big question is whether they will approve a proposal to create a teaching document on the Eucharist that would deny the sacrament to politicians who support pro-choice policies. No one doubts that the proposal is…

Pope Francis last Friday appointed Lazarus You Heung-sik, the archbishop of Daejeon, as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy. This is the first time a Korean priest has been appointed to a senior position in the Vatican and comes on the bicentennial of the birth of Korea's only…

Updated 2 days ago · Published on 12 May 2021 11:00PM · Pope Francis delivering his weekly general audience in public for the first time in six months in the San Damaso Courtyard at the Vatican. – EPA pic, May 12, 2021. POPE Francis expressed his pleasure today at being…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — In a measure aimed at promoting the work of lay people in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis instituted a new ministry of catechists on Tuesday (May 11), open to lay Catholics, men and women to serve the church by transmitting the faith.  While the role of…