Vatican

Pope Leo says God rejects prayers of leaders who wage wars, says they have 'hands full of blood'

"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo, the first US pope, told crowds.

Pope Leo XIV delivers a homily during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 29, 2026.
Cardinals take part in the funeral of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square April 8, 2005 in Vatican City, Vatican.

The Israeli-Iranian handshake at Pope John Paul II's funeral

Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan meets with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, March 23, 2026

Yad Vashem Chairman Dayan meets with Pope Leo XIV to discuss Holocaust remembrance

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Christmas Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2025.

Vatican says it will not participate in Trump's Gaza Board of Peace


Vatican conclave set to convene next month, elect new Pope

Some 135 cardinals, all under the age of 80 and from across the world, are eligible to take part in the conclave.

  begin process to elect a new pope after pope francis's passing. Illustration.

Trump and Zelensky meet one-on-one in Vatican basilica to seek Ukraine peace

Zelensky said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesperson called it "very productive."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump meet, while they attend the funeral of Pope Francis, at the Vatican April 26, 2025.

WATCH: Royalty and presidents joining multitude of mourners at Pope Francis' funeral

Among those attending from more than 150 countries will be US President Donald Trump, who clashed with Francis on numerous occasions over their starkly contrasting positions on immigration.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun walks, ahead of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025.

Pope Francis died quickly and without suffering, his doctor says

Dr. Sergio Alfieri said that as soon as he realized the Pope was in a coma, there was nothing he could do to save his life.

 Pope Francis arrives to attend his weekly general audience in the St. Damaso courtyard. September, 2020.

A troubled legacy? Pope Francis and Jewish-Catholic relations - opinion

Many in the Jewish community felt that the Vatican, which had once pledged never to stand aside when Jews were threatened, failed to condemn a group that openly calls for the annihilation of Jews.

 Pope Francis greets cardinals as he appears during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 13, 2025.

After the death of Pope Francis, what happens now? - explainer

The following rituals mark the end of one papacy and the start of the next.

 Nuns stand in St. Peter's Square, after the death of Pope Francis was announced by the Vatican, April 21, 2025.

'A man of the people': World leaders react to Pope Francis's passing

"The global Catholic community bids farewell to a leader who recognised the burning issues of our day and called attention to them," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said.

 Pope Francis walks with his pastoral staff as he leads the Epiphany mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

'Rewriting the Bible' and calling Israel's war 'shameful': Pope Francis's changing stance on Israel

Pope Francis suggested the global community study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.

 Pope Francis, with a large bruise on his chin, arrives to hold an audience with donors of the St. Peter's Square Christmas tree and Nativity scene, at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, December 7, 2024.

Pope Francis dies at 88 after long battle with respiratory illness

Francis, originally from Argentina, was the first Catholic pontiff from the Americas and began his career as a Jesuit priest in Argentina.

 Pope Francis. Vatican announces new guidelines allowing gay men to become priests in Italy under vow of celibacy.

Pope Francis calls for Gaza ceasefire during Easter appearance

"I appeal to the warring parties: Call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace," the Pope's Easter message said.

 Pope Francis speaks from a balcony on the day of the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) message, at St. Peter's Square, on Easter Sunday, in the Vatican, April 20, 2025.