Pope Francis

Pope Francis has criticized Russia for its actions in Ukraine, saying its troops are brutal and ferocious, praising brave Ukrainians fighting for survival.

But in a text interview with Jesuit media editors last month, he said the situation was not black and white and that the war "may have been provoked in some way".

A Catholic church in the Black Sea province of Samsun has an iftar event on April 22, with the priest reading the Ramadan message of Pope Francis.

"The more we, people from different religions, live together in peace, the more we will be protecting the human dignity," said Marcelo Cisneros, the priest of Mater Dolorosa Church.

Albania remembers the Catholic nun who inspired Pope Francis with with her tale of courage - having secretly kept the faith alive under a brutal dictatorship.

Vatican City – President Borut Pahor will pay an official visit to the Vatican on Monday at the invitation of Pope Francis to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Slovenia and the Holy See.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor will visit the Vatican on 6 and 7 February at the invitation of Pope Francis to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Slovenia and the Holy See.

Announcing the visit, the president’s office said it would provide an opportunity for an exchange of views on relevant issues of current and future times.

Pope Francis on Dec. 5 returned to the island of Lesbos, the migration flashpoint he first visited in 2016, calling the neglect of migrants the "shipwreck of civilisation".

The pope has long championed the cause of migrants and his visit comes a day after he delivered a stinging rebuke to Europe which he said was "torn by nationalist egoism".

The Vatican's Apostolic Library, which is home to ancient manuscripts, rare books and reading rooms for scholars is opening its doors to the general public with a small new exhibition space aimed at pairing its artistic treasures with contemporary art.

Pope Francis arrived in Budapest on Sept. 12 to celebrate a mass, with eyes focused on his meeting with the anti-migration Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The head of 1.3 billion Catholics will have a half-hour meeting with Orban - accompanied by Hungarian President Janos Ader - in Budapest's grand Fine Arts Museum, in what could be an awkward brief encounter.

The leaders of the Catholic, Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches called on the global community to do more to protect the planet's future, dpa reported.

The Vatican has protested to Italy over a bill on homophobia currently passing through parliament.

The "Zan" bill would punish discrimination and incitement to violence against the LGBT community, as well as women and people with disabilities.

The Vatican argues the bill would curb religious freedoms secured in a treaty signed between Italy and Vatican Repubic.