MADRID (AP) — Pope Francis criticized the West’s recent involvement in Afghanistan as an outsider’s attempt to impose democracy. But he did it by citing Russian President Vladimir Putin while thinking ...

Vatican City - World leaders welcomed the election Thursday of Robert Francis Prevost as the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Prevost, who took the papal name Leo XIV, is the first ...

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. His papacy ended when he died on April 21, 2025. The worldwide spiritual leader of ...

From the passing of Pope Francis to the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, 2025 emerged as a pivotal turning point for a Church navigating global political violence, the AI revolution, and a ...

Pope Leo XIV celebrates a memorial Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Nov. 3, 2025, for Pope Francis and all the cardinals and bishops who have died in the past year. Credit: CNS photo/Vatican Media The ...

The story that dominated the Catholic news headlines in 2025 was, of course, the death of Pope Francis and the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. These were NCR's most read — not necessarily the most ...