Many of the Catholics he counseled were much younger, but he made a habit of trying to meet them where they were.

The delay in issuing a statement reflected apparent tensions between Israel and Francis, who criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza.

In One Image Prelude to a Funeral By Tomás Munita and Peter Robins The rituals of the Vatican can seem timeless, impervious to change. But look closer. The Swiss Guards accompanying Pope Francis on his final journey still wear the colors of the …

Three religious thinkers on the state of Catholicism.

Before mourners in their thousands gather in St. Peter’s Square to grieve, before leaders from around the world arrive to pay their respects, and long before cardinals cloister themselves to consider the future, the Vatican holds a small ceremony …

“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis uttered those words in July 2013, just four and a half months into his papacy, when he was asked about gay priests, and the remark was greeted by some observers as a revelation and revolution. At long last, the Roman …