Pope Francis

Latest Stories

An aerial photo shows archeological site of the 6,000-year-old archaeological site of Ur during the preparations for Pope Francis' visit near Nasiriyah, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his first-ever papal visit. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jourani)

The Latest: Pope Francis delivers sermon in Baghdad church

Associated Press

Iraqi Christians clean the the roof of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Pope Francis will visit the church during his historic trip to Iraq. Damaged during the Islamic State reign of terror, the church's tragedy mirrored that of its Christian community which was devastated by the group. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Pope to visit Iraq church damaged by IS militants

By MARIAM FAM - Associated Press

Pope Francis is flanked by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi upon his arrival at Baghdad's international airport, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis heads to Iraq on Friday to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Latest: Pope honors massacre victims at Baghdad church

Associated Press

Pope Francis is welcomed upon his arrival at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis has arrived in Iraq to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis urges Iraq to embrace its Christians on historic visit

By Nicole Winfield and Samya Kullab - Associated Press

FILE - This March, 13, 2019 handout file photo from the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, shows senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf. On Saturday, March 6, 2021, Pope Francis will visit the 90-year-old Grand Ayatollah who is revered by many Shiites worldwide and whose words hold powerful influence in Iraq and beyond. The pontiff and ayatollah will meet in al-Sistani’s modest home in the Iraqi city of Najaf. (Office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, via AP, File)

Intense preparations before pontiff meets Iraqi ayatollah

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and SAMYA KULLAB - Associated Press

FILE - In this Nov. 7 2010, followers attend a mass at Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi Christians have gathered for mass in the same church that just a week before was the scene of a horrific bloodbath that left scores dead and wounded. Pope Francis is pushing ahead with the first papal trip to Iraq despite rising coronavirus infections, hoping to encourage the country’s dwindling number of Christians who were violently persecuted during the Islamic State insurgency while seeking to boost ties with the Shiite Muslim world. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

EXPLAINER: Pope’s risky Iraq trip aims to boost Christians

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

Father Nazeer Dako arranges a Vatican flag to welcome Pope Francis at St. Joseph's Chaldean Church ahead of the Pope's visit, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 2, 2021. (AP/Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Vatican defends pope’s Iraq trip amid virus as ‘act of love’

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope prays for liberation of 317 kidnapped Nigerian students

Associated Press

In this photo released by Government Spokesman Office, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, second right in the background, claps his hands after Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul received the first China's Sinovac vaccine at Bamrasnaradura Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Feb. 28 , 2021. (Government Spokesman Office via AP)

The Latest: First US J&J vaccine doses shipping Sunday night

By The Associated Press - Associated Press

Pope Francis sprinkles a member of the clergy with ashes during the Ash Wednesday mass leading Catholics into Lent, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool photo via AP)

Pope celebrates pandemic-aware Ash Wednesday at Vatican

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 filer, judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre, the now retired president of the Vatican tribunal, center, attends the inauguration ceremony of the 86th Judicial Year of the Vatican tribunal at the Vatican. Pope Francis has made another set of changes to the Vatican City State’s legal code, which has come under heightened scrutiny and criticism as Vatican prosecutors seek to crack down on financial crimes and mismanagement by Holy See monsignors and money managers. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, File)

Pope again updates Vatican legal code amid scrutiny, probes

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope hails Colombia for giving needy Venezuelans protection

By FRANCES D'EMILIO - Associated Press

Sister Nathalie Becquart poses for a photo during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Pope Francis has named the French nun to a Vatican position that should give her a vote in any upcoming meeting of bishops, a small step forward in the long campaign of Catholic women to have a greater say in Catholic decision-making. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Nun named to voting position at Vatican praises ‘brave’ pope

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

Pope Francis delivers his blessing from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis seeks ‘Copernican revolution’ for post-COVID-19 economy

By Nicole Winfield - Associated Press

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass with members of religious institutions on the occasion of the celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, pool)

Pope seeks to encourage musicians silenced by coronavirus

Associated Press

A cyclist is reflected on a puddle in an empty St.Peter's Square, as Pope Francis is reciting the Angelus noon prayer in his studio in the Apostolic palace, seen on the right, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope denounces violence against women, demands protection

Associated Press

In this Dec. 8, 2020, file photo, Pope Francis delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, on the Immaculate Conception day, at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)

Pope on Iraq trip: Worthwhile even if most watch him on TV

By NICOLE WINFIELD - Associated Press

People are reflected on a puddle as they walk in an empty St.Peter's Square, as Pope Francis is reciting the Angelus noon prayer in his studio in the Apostolic palace, seen on the right, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope sets date to honor ‘forgotten’ grandparents and elders

Associated Press

FILE - in this Sunday, April 14, 2019 file photo, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako addresses the faithful during the Palm Sunday service at Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq’s top Catholic official said Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 that a deadly suicide bombing in Baghdad hasn’t thwarted Pope Francis’ plans to visit, and he confirmed the pontiff would meet with the country’s top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, in a significant highlight of the first-ever papal trip to Iraq. The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, provided the first details of Francis’ March 5-8 itinerary during a virtual press conference hosted by the French bishops' conference. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

Patriarch: Pope to meet Iraqi Shiite leader Sistani in Iraq

By NICOLE WINFIELD and SAMYA KULLAB - Associated Press

In this Dec. 8, 2020, file photo, Pope Francis delivers his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, on the Immaculate Conception day, at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)

Pope Francis marking Holocaust warns another extermination possible

Associated Press