Pope Francis

Trade Wars, Culture Wars, and Anti-Immigration: Trump's Big Promises

A sweeping deportation program, "drill, baby, drill," and peace for Ukraine: President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to move big and fast when he returns to the White House on Monday. Here is a look at his sensational but frequently vague promises for a second term -- much of them likely to be enacted through executive ...

'Hope': Pope Francis Shares an Exceptional and Powerful Memoir

On January 14, 2025, Pope Francis released Hope, an exceptional and unprecedented autobiography. Originally planned for posthumous publication, the text was advanced to mark the Jubilee Year of Hope. Published simultaneously in more than 80 countries, the book is a historic milestone: no living pope had ever written his memoirs before. Co-written ...

Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Turkey, capping what is likely his final trip. Blinken had been expected to remain in Italy through the weekend to join President Joe Biden but the outgoing US leader scrapped his ...

Pope Calls for ‘Arms to Be Silenced’ Across World

Pope Francis called Wednesday for "arms to be silenced" around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the "extremely grave" humanitarian situation in Gaza. He used his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" ("to the city and the world") message to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics to call ...

Despite Hopes Of a Ceasefire, Violence Continues In Gaza

Despite growing hopes of a ceasefire, the violence continues in the Gaza Strip, where 35 people have been killed in the last 24 hours according to the Civil Defence of the Palestinian territory, ravaged by more than a year of war between Hamas and Israel. The Islamist movement Hamas and two other Palestinian groups had suggested on Saturday that ...

Pope Again Condemns 'Cruelty' of Israeli Strikes on Gaza

Pope Francis doubled down Sunday on his condemnation of Israel's strikes on the Gaza Strip, denouncing their "cruelty" for the second time in as many days. "And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty," the pope said after his weekly Angelus ...

Mikati: ‘Christian Presence Guarantees Lebanese Unity’

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed to Pope Francis his attachment “to coexistence and to Lebanon’s role as a message in the region, as well as to the Christian presence, which is a guarantee for the unity of Lebanon, land and people.” Mikati and the Pontiff also tackled a number of current topics pertaining to Lebanon and the ...

Pope urges Lebanon to elect a new president immediately

Pope Francis called on Lebanese politicians on Sunday to urgently elect a new president, to get the country's governing institutions functioning again. "I address an urgent invitation to all Lebanese politicians to elect the president of the republic immediately," the pontiff said at Saint Peter's Square at the end of Sunday Angelus ...

Pope Calls for Gaza 'Genocide' Investigation

Pope Francis for the first time tackled claims of Israel's ongoing "genocide" of Palestinians in Gaza in a forthcoming book, urging further investigation into whether Israel's actions meet the definition. Titled "Hope Never Disappoints. Pilgrims Towards a Better World", the book includes his latest and most forthright ...

Caramel, Candy, and Chocolate: The Spectacle of Barbarism

Once again, I find myself watching on television, weary and disheartened, as the rubble of a home targeted by an Israeli strike lies collapsed over its occupants. This time, the scene is in Ain Yaacoub (Akkar) — a modest two-story house, typical of rural areas, its construction unfinished, with parts still bare cement due to a lack of funds. ...

Spanish Royals Pelted with Mud as Flood Death Toll Tops 200

Furious locals pelted Spain's royals and premier on Sunday with mud and cries of "murderers!", forcing officials to cut short their visit to the town worst hit by the floods, which have killed more than 200. The angry crowd in the town of Paiporta focused most of its wrath on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of the Valencia ...