Pope Francis, on a historic trip to Iraq, will on Saturday hold a hugely symbolic meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, seeking to deepen his cautious dialogue with Muslim leaders. The 84-year-old pope will visit the top Shiite cleric at his home in Najaf, the shrine city where Imam Ali, the fourth Islamic caliph and […]

Security threats, the Covid pandemic, war-ravaged infrastructure: Iraqis are facing major challenges as they plan to host Pope Francis later this week. “We’re very happy about this historic visit — but it does come at a pretty difficult time,” confided an official from Iraq’s presidency. Benedict XVI, who resigned as pontiff eight years ago, warned […]

Benedict XVI, who resigned as pontiff eight years ago, warned in an interview published Monday that Pope Francis’ historic upcoming trip to Iraq was “dangerous”. “I think it’s a very important trip,” the 93-year-old pope emeritus, who lives in a monastery in the Vatican City, told the Corriere della Sera daily. “Unfortunately, it comes at […]

Pope Francis condemned on Sunday the kidnapping of more than 300 schoolgirls at Jengede in Zamfara state last week as “vile”. “I join the bishops of Nigeria in condemning this vile abduction of 317 young girls,” the pope said following his weekly Sunday Angelus address to the Catholic faithful on Saint Peter’s Square in the […]

Pope Francis’ personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, has died from health complications related to the coronavirus, according to the Vatican. The 78-year-old physician, who was being treated for an “oncological pathology,” died at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, according to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. Pope Francis named Soccorsi his personal physician in August 2015, after not renewing the […]

People need to think beyond their next travel plans and consider how much others may be suffering due to the pandemic, Pope Francis said after Sunday’s midday prayer.

Italy’s virus restrictions mean Pope Francis will not recite the Angelus prayer on Boxing Day before thousands of pilgrims, as in the past, but instead will declaim it from the calm of a Vatican library. The Vatican moved the location for Saturday’s noon-time (1100 GMT) prayer to the library in the Apostolic Palace, according to […]

Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Friday called for “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet” for the coronavirus, which he said had exacerbated existing global crises. The pontiff also touched on the plight of children caught up by war, singling out victims in […]

Many Christians are shocked when I tell them that neither Christ nor any of His twelve apostles were Christians. Christianity is a religion ABOUT Christ-and other things. The religion that Christ practised while He was on Earth is Judaism. In Christ’s Day, Judaism was practised under different sects, some of which include Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes. […]

Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for both sides in the Libyan civil war to seek peace, urging the international community to facilitate talks and protect refugees and migrants he said were victims of cruelty.

 Pope Francis has offered one million euros (1.1 million dollars) for a new charity fund targeting people in Rome left in dire straits by the coronavirus economic crisis.

Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Revd. Alfred Adewale Martins Wednesday cautioned promoters of different conspiracy theories as the world against Covid-19 to be careful not to cast aspersions at the Catholic Pontiff.

 Pope Francis on Tuesday urged people to obey rules aimed at preventing a devastating second wave of infections as their leaders begin to ease coronavirus lockdowns.

Pope Francis prayed Monday for the growing number of women subjected to domestic abuse while living under coronavirus lockdown. The Argentine pontiff livestreamed an Easter Monday prayer from his private library as the Vatican and Italy entered a second month of restrictions on most outdoor activities. Worries about domestic abuse have spread across the world […]

Pope Francis appealed Sunday for courage in the face of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 65,000 lives across the globe in just three months. US President Donald Trump has already warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of deaths in the coming days, as the number of confirmed cases there […]