1 hour ago Why Francis will be the first Pope buried outside the Vatican in 120 years

His burial site reflects his humble approach to the grand office

Politics

8 h. ago ‘The people’s pope’: what the papers say about the death of Pope Francis

Pope Francis, an outsider Jesuit pontiff from Argentina, is being mourned across the globe – here is the front-page reaction in BritainThe death of Pope Francis has reverberated around the world, with the Catholic leader remembered by millions as a Jesuit pontiff who pushed for social and economic justice.Here is how the major British newspapers responded to the news. Continue reading...

Events

18 h. ago The Guardian view on Pope Francis: an outsider who was a force for good in the world | Editorial

The Argentine pontiff was a vital progressive influence on issues such as migration, and fought for a more merciful, less rigid Catholic churchDefying doctors’ orders to rest following his battle with double pneumonia, a weak Pope Francis last week visited Rome’s Regina Coeli prison, where he blew kisses towards inmates and spent half an hour in discussion with some of those incarcerated. Sadly, this Maundy Thursday encounter turned out to be one of the last acts of a supremely hardworking papacy. In retrospect, its location was entirely appropriate.Throughout his 12 years in Saint Peter’s chair, Francis sought admirably to refocus the Catholic church’s energies on the marginalised, while challenging the power of entrenched interests. Coming, as he put it, “from the ends of the earth”, the first non-European pontiff of modern times was an outsider pope and a radical one. Within the church, the Argentine was a sometimes spikily direct reformer; outside it, he was a signific...

Politics

20 h. ago How Pope Francis' funeral and burial will break with tradition as last wishes revealed

Pope Francis had expressed that he wanted to be buried outside of Vatican City

Politics

27 h. ago Pope Francis brought an outsider’s eye to the papacy – with a focus on justice, ecology and humanity | Catherine Pepinster

He will be remembered as one of the great communicators of Christian faith – but healing the church’s divisions was beyond himCatherine Pepinster is a former editor of The TabletJust three days before he was admitted to hospital for bronchitis in February, Pope Francis delivered a strongly worded message to the US about Donald Trump’s attitude to migrants. In a letter sent to the country’s Roman Catholic bishops, he made clear that he completely disagreed with Trump’s mass deportation plans for illegal migrants. “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.”The sentiment was not only reserved for Trump. Throughout his 12 years as pope, Francis, who died this morning at the age of 88, focused on the dignity of people, especially those viewed by others as outsiders – whether migrants, prisoners, whom he often visited, or LGBTQ+ people. “Who am I to judge?” he famously said when asked about his ...

Politics

27 h. ago Pope Francis brought an outsider’s eye to the papacy – even if healing the church’s divisions was beyond him | Catherine Pepinster

He will be remembered as one of the great communicators of Christian faith, with a focus on justice, ecology and humanityCatherine Pepinster is a former editor of The TabletJust three days before he was admitted to hospital for bronchitis in February, Pope Francis delivered a strongly worded message to the US about Donald Trump’s attitude to migrants. In a letter sent to the country’s Roman Catholic bishops, he made clear that he completely disagreed with Trump’s mass deportation plans for illegal migrants. “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.”The sentiment was not only reserved for Trump. Throughout his 12 years as pope, Francis, who died this morning at the age of 88, focused on the dignity of people, especially those viewed by others as outsiders – whether migrants, prisoners, whom he often visited, or LGBTQ+ people. “Who am I to judge?” he famously said when asked about his attit...

Politics

27 h. ago Pope Francis dead aged 88 as crowds begin to gather outside the Vatican to pay tribute

The news was confirmed by senior Vatican officials this morning

Economics

27 h. ago Pope Francis: outsider whose reforming mission made him an ally of progressives

The pontiff took on church traditionalists and rightwing populism, making powerful enemies on the wayIn his first words from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in 2013, the newly elected Pope Francis, told the packed square below: “You all know that the duty of the conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother cardinals have come almost to the ends of the earth to get him.”The wry observation struck a winning self-deprecatory note. But the Argentine pope’s allusion to his outsider status was telling: having been chosen by his peers, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio intended his to be a far more radical and reforming papacy than the conclave had bargained for. In the 13th century, St Francis of Assisi is said to have received the divine instruction: “Go, rebuild my house.” The first Pope to take the saint’s name viewed his own task in similar terms. Continue reading...

Events