5 h. ago Pope Francis hailed as ‘unflinching global champion’ on climate crisis

Officials and campaigners from around world pay tribute to pontiff who put environment at heart of his papacyPope Francis, groundbreaking Jesuit pontiff, dies aged 88He declared destroying the environment a sin, warned that humanity was turning the glorious creation of God into a “polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth”, and located the cause of the climate crisis in people’s “selfish and boundless thirst for power”.The messages Pope Francis delivered on the climate and environmental crises were forceful and direct. He called the leaders of fossil fuel companies into the Vatican to hold them to account; declared a global climate emergency, in 2019; and in his final months, held a conference on “the economics of the common good”. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago ‘A signal of simplicity’: Pope Francis’s funeral will be his final humble gesture

One of pontiff’s last acts was to simplify papal rites, stripping away elaborate rituals and scaling back processionLatest updates: tributes paid after Pope Francis dies aged 88When the late Pope Francis stepped on to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to give his first speech as leader of the Catholic church in March 2013, he cast away formality by dressing in simple white robes instead of the regal ermine-trimmed cape usually worn by newly elected pontiffs.The next day, Francis – a name chosen in honour of Francis of Assisi, the Italian saint who renounced a life of luxury to help the poor – returned to the Rome hotel in which he had stayed before the conclave to pick up his luggage and pay his bill. He substituted a plush apostolic apartment for a simple room within the Vatican walls and, unlike his predecessors, did not spend his summers in Castel Gandolfo, an opulent 12th-century fortress close to Rome. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Pope Francis’ approach did not win him friends within the church bureaucracy. But he lit the path for us all | Francis Sullivan

While his legacy in confronting the sex abuse scandal is still incomplete, Francis demonstrated that change is possible and mercy can be realPope Francis, groundbreaking Jesuit pontiff, diesPotential candidates to succeed Pope FrancisEarly in his papacy Pope Francis said the name for God is mercy. He understood the church had become too doctrinaire, divisive and judgmental for too many people. The drift of Catholics from conventional practice in the west said as much. He knew the church had alienated the LGBTQ community, discriminated against women and resisted full participation for divorced and remarried Catholics. He acknowledged that previous popes had not confronted the clerical sex abuse scandal. He wanted to do better and the Catholic world was with him, the institution was not.The Catholic church by its nature is a conservative institution. It uses inertia as a management tool. Change is a slow and drawn-out affair. Francis regularly railed against clericalism because of its...

Politics

14 h. ago Pope Francis latest: Pontiff died of stroke and heart failure, Vatican says while world pays tribute

A statement released by the Holy See said his death was confirmed using an echocardiogram

Events

15 h. ago Pope Francis died of stroke and heart failure, Vatican doctor says, as tributes pour in for pontiff – latest updates

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who was revered by millions of Catholics around the world, has died aged 88Pope Francis, groundbreaking Jesuit pontiff, diesPotential candidates to succeed Pope FrancisPope Francis: share your tributesThe Archbishop of York has paid tribute to Pope Francis as “holy man of God” who was “also very human”, PA News reports.In a statement on X, Stephen Cottrell said:Francis’s whole life and ministry was centred on Jesus who comes among us not to be served, but to serve.We saw that compellingly in Francis’s service of the poor his love of neighbour, especially the displaced, migrant; the asylum seeker, his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth and his desire to lead and build the church in new ways.I remember, in the brief times spent with him, how this holy man of God, was also very human.He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him. Continue reading...

Events

16 h. ago ‘He was humble and close to the people’: Catholics pay respects to Pope Francis

Worshippers gathered in Rome for the Easter weekend reflect on legacy of pontiff who pushed the limitsBill Nicoletti and his family, from Philadelphia, were among the thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for Easter Sunday mass when Pope Francis arrived in his open-air popemobile.The vehicle cruised through the square, stopping occasionally for the pontiff to bless babies that were brought towards him, as the delighted crowd shouted “Viva il papa!” (Long live the pope!) Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Ways humble Pope Francis broke Vatican tradition including where he'll be buried

The 'People's Pope' passed away this morning on Easter Monday

Politics

19 h. ago Battle for the soul of the Catholic Church begins: Conservative and liberal factions vie to install their preferred Pope

The battle to succeed Pope Francis is one for the very soul of the Catholic Church and its over a billion followers around the world.

Events

21 h. ago Obituary: Pope Francis, humble pontiff who won the hearts of millions while angering Catholic conservatives

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis. Born: 17 December, 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Died: 21 April, 2025 in the Vatican City, aged 88

Economics

24 h. ago Pope Francis dead: How 'humble' Pontiff ended his time standing up for the poor

Pope Francis, 88, had fought pneumonia, one of the respiratory illnesses which blighted his life due to the loss of part of one lung in his youth - elected the 266th pontiff on March 13, 2013, he was no stranger to controversy...

Events

25 h. ago Obituary: Pope Francis, reformer of modern Catholicism, 1936

The first non-European pontiff in centuries pioneered change but was not the radical liberal of conservative imaginings

Politics

26 h. ago Pope Francis: The first Latin American and Jesuit to lead the Roman Catholic Church

Former Archbishop of Buenos Aires sought to bring ‘common touch’ and modernising influence to Vatican, speaking passionately on the need to address modern concerns like the climate crisis as a moral imperative

Politics

26 h. ago Pope Francis dead: Vatican confirms pontiff's death at 88 in heartbreaking statement

Pope Francis assumed the papacy in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. He was known for his action on climate change and being critical of consumerism

Events

8 d. ago ‘I became like a slave’: why 43 women are suing the secretive Opus Dei Catholic group in Argentina

Lured by promises of an education but allegedly trapped in servitude and self-mortification, the former members are suing the ultra-conservative organisation over their ‘exploitation and abuse’The first item Opus Dei gave 12-year-old Andrea Martínez was a pink dress. The second was a schedule that detailed every task for every minute of her day. Then, when she was 16, she was given a cilice – a spiked metal chain to wear around her thigh – and a whip.In the late 1980s, Opus Dei, a secretive and ultra-conservative Catholic organisation, promised Martínez an escape from a life of poverty in rural Argentina. By attending one of their schools, they said, she would receive an education and opportunities. Continue reading...

Politics