Vatican

The Vatican has expressed concern after 90-year-old outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen was arrested last week in Hong Kong on charges he had endangered China's national security.

Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church had a long call during which Francis says he emphasized they are religious figures, not political ones.

Pope Francis will be celebrating Easter Sunday in Vatican City. Find out how to watch this service and many others online.

The allegation, which came to light during an ongoing fraud and extortion trial, raised questions about security and independence in the sovereign Vatican.

"If Russia confirms its will to sit at the table, immediately Ukraine will respond in a positive way," said one Ukrainian official.

Conservatives in the Catholic church, which counts 1.3 billion members in total, believe the pope is giving mixed messages on homosexuality.

A Vatican communications official wrote an editorial in response to a report saying Pope Benedict XVI mishandled four sex abuse cases in the 1970s and 1980s.

The former Pope's secretary says that the statement "was not done out of bad faith, but was the result of an error in the editing of his statement."

The pontiff also strongly condemned anti-vaxxers during an address to diplomats.

The pontiff made the comments while discussing adoption, which he said is preferable to having pets as a substitute for children.

Pope Francis said that the pride and self-interest of Vatican clergy and administrators was compromising their spirituality and the church's goals.

"Each of life's stages is a time to believe, hope and love," he tweeted Friday.

As Pope Francis visited Cyprus, a country overwhelmed by asylum-seekers, the Vatican announced they would take in 12 migrants.

President Joe Biden had a sentimental present for Pope Francis during their meeting at the Vatican on Friday.

Joe Biden's first meeting as U.S. president with Pope Francis at the Vatican will not be broadcast live.

The Vatican hasn't allowed independent photographers and journalists into papal audiences since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The president, a devout Catholic, supports an effort to pass abortion access in Congress. The pope has compared abortion to "hiring a hitman."

John Paul I reigned as supreme pontiff for just 33 days in 1978 in the so-called "year of three popes."

The offer came after the defense complained of serious procedural problems in the investigation that it said warranted the indictment being thrown out.

"I personally might merit attacks and insults because I'm a sinner, but the church doesn't deserve this; it's the work of the devil," Pope Francis said.

"Climate change is not only a future challenge, but an immediate and urgent matter of survival," said the statement from the world's top Christian leaders.

The pope's comments come weeks after campaigners in Italy launched a petition to reverse a law banning assisted suicide, making the country the latest in Europe to move toward legalizing the act.

"I ask for your prayers as I continue to fight against the lawsuits stemming from these two allegations," DiMarzio said.

The pontiff told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE that the withdrawal by the U.S. followed "deception" by the Taliban.

The 220-acre prison complex, which holds members of the country's Uyghur minority, could be the largest detention center in the world.

Poland's Catholic Church released a report on the sexual abuse of minors. Archbishop Wojciech Polak apologizes to the victims.

The secretary of state met with Pope Francis to discuss America's relationship with the Vatican.

Activists accused the Vatican of "unprecedented" interference with its formal opposition to the proposed Italian Zan Law that would expand anti-LGBT discrimination protections.

Human rights experts said the church demonstrated a pattern of behavior "to protect alleged abusers, cover up crimes, obstruct accountability of alleged abusers and evade reparations due to victims."

The Vatican is taking steps to implementing a term limit on leadership positions. They hope applying a term limit will prevent abuses of power and more scandals.