Christopher White

Pope Francis on May 25 said his heart was "broken" after at least 19 schoolchildren and 2 adults were killed in Texas in America’s latest school shooting and called for an end to the trafficking of firearms.

A recent conference on Pope Francis' 2016 Amoris Laetitia illustrated the stark contrast between countries with episcopal conferences more inclined to support Francis and those skeptical of his reforms.

"I know that the rest of the world, when they hope for one person to solve this problem, they look at the pope," Joseph Donnelly told NCR May 16, in his first interview with a U.S. news agency since his arrival in Rome.

Emilce Cuda's ascendancy in the Vatican underscores the structural changes that Pope Francis seeks. Those who know Cuda say that Francis is looking to her to help him hardwire Catholic social thought in the Vatican and beyond.

Pope Francis will make a much anticipated visit to Canada from July 24-30.

The international Community of Sant'Egidio, a lay-led Catholic social service organization based in Rome, paved the way for Pope Francis to meet with leaders in South Sudan, the world's youngest country, in July.

Pope Francis in a new interview on LGBT Catholics said God "does not disown any of his children" and that a church that is "selective" about its membership more resembles a "sect" than what the Gospel commands. 

Pope Francis said he has asked for a meeting in Moscow to help bring about an end to the war and warned that Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a key backer of President Vladimir Putin's fight against Ukraine, should not become Putin's "altar boy." 

Pope Francis has named Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille as the new head of the Paris Archdiocese.

Since February, the pope, who has long suffered from sciatica, has repeatedly had difficulty walking, resulting in a number of modifications to his public schedule. He canceled a Feb. 27 day trip to Florence and plans to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass.

Pope Francis, who in recent months has been sidelined by severe knee pain, canceled his appointments on Friday, April 22 for a medical check-up.

NCR Connections: The shadow of the war against Ukraine loomed large over the Vatican's Holy Week festivities, while Pope Francis had his own Via Crucis, as the 85-year-old's health was the subject of much concern.

A Ukrainian Marine in the besieged city of Mariupol has written to Pope Francis pleading for the pontiff to personally intervene on the city's behalf, as Russian forces continue their devastating, weeks-long siege on the strategic port on the Sea of Azov.

Pope Francis used his Easter message to again appeal for peace in Ukraine, saying the country has been "dragged" into a "cruel and senseless war" and that if the conflict escalates, it could lead to the destruction of all of humanity. 

Pope Francis has named Cardinal Peter Turkson as the new chancellor of both the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. 

On the press conference aboard the papal plane, Francis addressed the Vatican's diplomatic approach to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, and his own health struggles.  

Pope Francis wrapped up his two-day trip to the Mediterranean island of Malta  April 3 by urging a spirit of hospitality in welcoming new arrivals from Africa and the Middle East. 

Pope Francis, while visiting an island rife with tensions over migration, delivered a blistering criticism on April 2 of the "infantile" and "nationalist interests" that have displaced over 10 million people in just over one month as a result of the war against Ukraine.

Pope Francis on April 1 offered a long sought-after apology to Canada's Indigenous peoples for the Catholic Church's involvement in the country's residential schools and vowed to visit Canada soon.

Nearly two years after COVID-19 derailed original plans for a trip to Malta, Pope Francis will visit the tiny island to reiterate one of the big themes of his papacy: welcoming migrants is a way to welcome Christ.