Christopher White

Pope Francis on Dec. 5 chided world leaders for their "cynical disregard" of the plight of migrants.

Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the historical "mistakes committed by many Catholics" against Orthodox Christians.

 As Pope Francis arrived in the birthplace of democracy, he immediately sounded the alarm that democracy is under threat across the globe.

Daniel Ejuba, a refugee from Cameroon, may be the only person from northern Nicosia who is excited for Pope Francis' visit to Cyprus. Most of its non-practicing Muslim-majority residents are blissfully unaware (or, apathetic and amused) that Francis is in town.

Pope Francis pleaded for an end to "walls of fear" and "vetoes dictated by nationalist interests" on Dec. 2, as he arrived in the splintered eastern Mediterranean capital city of Nicosia.

In an email interview with NCR, Cyprus' ambassador to the Holy See, George Poulides, described Pope Francis' "solidarity" with the island nation as "politically, diplomatically, religiously and morally important."

Pope Francis' Dec. 2-6 trip to Cyprus and Greece will serve as an opportunity to boost some of the signature themes of his papacy: migration, synodality and ecumenical outreach.

Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris has sent a letter to Pope Francis effectively offering to resign.

Pope Francis on Nov. 23 offered his prayers and condolences to the grief-stricken community of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The new documentary "Amen-Amen-Amen" chronicles the first time a Torah scroll was created and gifted to a Muslim leader. For filmmaker Tom Gallagher, this gesture gives a lived expression to Pope Francis' call for religious pluralism.

In an interview and in leaked correspondence, Archbishop Arthur Roche of the Congregation for Divine Worship has doubled down in defending Pope Francis' liturgical reforms as necessary to strengthen the church's unity.

Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin called for a "total elimination of nuclear weapons."

Pope Francis, in a new letter, praised the work of Catholic priests, nuns and lay people who ministered to HIV and AIDS victims at a time when much of the church hierarchy was at odds with the LGBTQ community during the height of the AIDS epidemic. 

One year after the release of Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti, two cardinals discussed the pope's call for greater human fraternity during a Nov. 8-9 conference. One lamented that "solidarity is a word that is not always well received."

Pope Francis will visit Cyprus and Greece next month, the Vatican confirmed on Nov. 5.

Pope Francis on appointed Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini as the new secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State, making her the first woman to ever hold the post and now the highest ranking woman in the Vatican.  

Following a lengthy 55-minute meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Oct. 30, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to announce he had invited the pontiff to visit India.

U.S. President Joe Biden says that Pope Francis told him he was a "good Catholic" and that he should keep receiving Communion during their Oct. 29 meeting at the Vatican.  

"It's good to be back," President Joe Biden said as he arrived at the Vatican, where he met privately with Pope Francis for about 75 minutes. The visit comes as U.S bishops prepare for a meeting in which they will review a document some say could deny Biden the Eucharist because of his support for legal abortion.

Pope Francis has agreed to visit Canada, at a date to be determined, following an invitation from Canada's Catholic Bishops in an effort to help the reconciliation process with Indigenous peoples.