Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other members of Nigeria’s official delegation have arrived in Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis, set to take place on Saturday.

A Swedish cardinal considered to be among the potential favourites to succeed Pope Francis said Tuesday that he did not expect to be elected at the coming conclave. “It would be fun to have a Swedish pope but I think it’s pretty unlikely. Highly unlikely,” Anders Arborelius, 75, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Arborelius, the […]

The coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88, will then be taken inside the church and from there taken to the Rome basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for burial.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), representing the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has joined the global Christian community in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, describing him as a spiritual father and a global voice of conscience whose life was marked by humility, service, and an unwavering pursuit of peace and justice.

Francis, 88, was in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for almost 40 days suffering from pneumonia and there were fears he might not survive.

Pope Francis’ condition is improving but he still requires various in-hospital therapies, the Vatican said Saturday.

The Argentine pope loves football and has long supported the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father as a boy.

The 88-year-old pontiff was put on a ventilator because of an “isolated” breathing crisis on Friday, sparking concern.

Pope Francis’s condition is not currently critical, a Vatican source said Friday, after a series of clinical improvements for the 88-year-old pontiff suffering from pneumonia in both lungs. The Argentine pope has spent the past two weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, with the Vatican reporting incremental improvements in his condition in recent days. A Vatican […]

The 88-year-old pope, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted on February 14 with breathing difficulties.

“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday.”

The pope has already cancelled his appointments on his calendar this week, including a Saturday audience and Sunday mass at St Peter’s Basilica.

“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations,” he wrote Tuesday.

The pontiff’s Vatican security detail received an urgent warning from the British secret services, Francis wrote.

Pope Francis has clarified his position on allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.