About: Pope Francis
Pope wants to visit Moscow to meet Putin over Ukraine
Pope Francis said in an interview published on Tuesday (3 May) that he asked for a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to stop the war in Ukraine but had not received a reply.
Ukraine calls for heavy arms as top US officials make Easter visit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv late on Sunday (24 April) and held talks President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an aide to the Ukrainian leader said, as Russia's invasion entered a third month.
Zelenskyy condemns shelling as bodies line streets of Mariupol
Ukrainian authorities condemned Russian artillery attacks on cities in the northeast and the continuing siege of the southern port city of Mariupol, of which Moscow said it had taken almost full control, following almost two months of bloody fighting.
Pope calls neglect of migrants ‘shipwreck’ on Lesbos visit
Pope Francis on Sunday (5 December) returned to the island of Lesbos, the migration flashpoint he first visited in 2016, calling the neglect of migrants the "shipwreck of civilisation".
Biden seeks to prove his political clout at G20, COP26 summits
As world leaders flock to Rome for the G20 summit, President Joe Biden kicks off a trip aimed at reasserting US international credentials, starting at a meeting Friday (29 October) with Catholic ally Pope Francis.
Tweets of the Week: Pope, SOTEU, Timmermans influential
Pope sticks to the essential, SOTEU has snack potential, and Timmermans is ranked influential.
In Hungary, pope says anti-Semitism ‘fuse’ must not be allowed to burn
Pope Francis called on Sunday (12 September) for vigilance against a rise in anti-Semitism, saying during a brief trip to Hungary this was a "fuse that must not be allowed to burn."
‘Peace more powerful than war’, Pope Francis says in Iraq’s ruined city of Mosul
Pope Francis heard Muslim and Christian residents in the ruined Iraqi city of Mosul tell of their lives under brutal Islamic State rule, blessing their vow to rise up from ashes and promising them “fraternity is more durable than fratricide.”
Tweets of the Week: Veggie Burgers, Supermarket Aisles, Pope Statements
Veggie burger debate makes us lose hope, French minister is a bit of a dope, and a big change of heart by the Pope.
World COVID-19 cases top 6 million as leaders disagree on pandemic response
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide topped six million Sunday (31 May), with Brazil registering another record surge in daily infections as divisions deepened on how to deal with the pandemic.
Global conspiracies, local panics
The COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting societies, economies, families and persons alike, is compounded by a global contagion of rumours, conspiracies, fake news and other deadly narratives that, despite their appearance of being tailored to fit local characteristics, are strikingly similar at a transnational level, writes Alina Bargaoanu.
Pope Francis: EU is facing epochal challenge on which depends the future of the world
Pope Francis prayed for tens of thousands of coronavirus victims in an unprecedented livestream Easter Sunday message delivered from a hauntingly empty Vatican to a world under lockdown.
Pope says Italy tax dodgers bear partial blame for virus health care crisis
Pope Francis has put a further spotlight on the Italian health services' struggle to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, by backing a prominent journalist's complaint that tax dodgers were partly to blame.
Pope Francis calls for ‘radical energy transition’ to stem global warming
Pope Francis said on Friday (14 June) that carbon pricing is “essential” to stem global warming – his clearest statement yet in support of penalising polluters – and appealed to climate change deniers to listen to science.
Pope pleads for European unity, warns against fear-mongers
Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for Europe to stick together and revive the ideals of its founders on Sunday (2 June), saying ideologies and fear-mongering politicians were threatening its very existence as a bloc.
Romanians prepare for Pope’s visit at times of domestic upheaval
Pope Francis travels on Friday (31 May) to Romania, giving him another opportunity to preach a message of European integration and political rectitude even as he pays tribute to Christians killed during the communist era.
In North Macedonia, Pope urges Balkans to embrace diversity
Pope Francis urged the Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during his visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday (7 May), where he delivered prayers and speeches that kept returning to the legacy of an illustrious Skopje native: Mother Teresa.
Pope Francis asks Bulgarians to ‘open hearts’ to migrants
Pope Francis urged Bulgarians to open their hearts and doors to refugees as he began a visit to the European Union's poorest country, where the main Orthodox Church snubbed holding joint prayers with the pontiff.
Malta demands EU solution before migrants disembark
Malta is pushing other European countries to take in around 250 migrants in its care before it will allow dozens of people stuck on two rescue boats to disembark, a government source said Tuesday (8 January).
Pope urges EU to show ‘solidarity’ with migrants stranded off Malta
Pope Francis on Sunday (6 January) urged EU leaders to show "concrete solidarity" with 49 migrants stranded on NGO ships off the coast of Malta who have been refused permission to land.
Catholic bishops call for faith in 1.5°C Paris target
Church leaders urged governments around the world to ramp up their climate action efforts on Friday (26 October), calling for “ambitious implementation” of the Paris Agreement.
Pope and Macron hold ‘intense’ meeting at Vatican
French President Emmanuel Macron held an "intense" meeting with Pope Francis during his first official visit to the Vatican yesterday (26 June), discussing global issues including the fate of migrants coming to Europe.
Erdogan in Rome: Let Turkey be full EU member
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has rejected proposals of a partnership with the EU, insisting full membership to the bloc is the only option, in an interview published Sunday (4 February).