Christopher White

In Portugal for World Youth Day, Pope Francis keeps repeating a message of inclusion: "The Lord does not point a finger, but opens wide his arms." But there is fierce resistance from some in the church.

Pope Francis on Aug. 2 capped off his first day in Portugal by meeting with 13 clergy abuse survivors. The meeting comes as the country is reeling from a report that Catholic clergy abused more than 4,800 children since 1950.

Like millions of other Catholic pilgrims do every year, Pope Francis will make a stop at Fátima during his trip to Portugal this week. But don't expect him to mention any conspiracy theories or controversial prophecies.

Pope Francis kicked off a 5-day visit in the Portuguese capital Aug. 2 to preside over a major Catholic youth festival with a blunt message for European leaders: invest in young people rather than weapons.

At 86, Francis will now be the oldest pope to preside over a World Youth Day celebration. If past World Youth Days are any indication, it could reinvigorate him, says Vatican correspondent Christopher White.

While the primary aim of World Youth Day is to energize a new generation of young Catholics for the future, Pope Francis will likely be unable to do so without a serious reckoning with the church's past. 

View from the Vatican: The October meeting of the Synod of Bishops will be held in a larger Vatican hall than previous synod meetings, to allow for roundtable discussions among members. It is a small change, but could be groundbreaking.

Pope Francis on July 9 named 21 new cardinals, including the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Christophe Pierre; American-born Archbishop Robert Prevost, who oversees the appointments of Catholic bishops worldwide; and the new head of the Vatican's doctrinal office, Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández. 

The Vatican on July 7 released the full list of participants for its upcoming global synod of Catholic bishops and lay delegates, which includes noted LGBTQ advocate Jesuit Fr. James Martin and all four U.S. cardinals created by Pope Francis.

Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, defended traditional church teaching on marriage, but said blessings for gay couples would have to be "analyzed." 

When Pope Francis visited Lampedusa in July 2013, few people had ever heard of the tiny Italian island. Ten years later, that visit has become a seminal reference point for Catholic care for migrants and refugees.

Pope Francis on July 1 appointed Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, his long-time fellow-Argentine theological adviser, to head the Vatican's doctrinal office.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Richard Stika, the embattled leader of the Diocese of Knoxville, following a tumultuous two-year period in which the diocese was subject to a Vatican investigation and multiple lawsuits over its handling of clergy abuse cases. 

View from the Vatican: The Vatican's initial reluctance to back the Abraham Accords could be explained by its longtime diplomatic efforts toward Middle East peace, including a push for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

In a preface to a new book, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin says clergy sexual abuse is not linked to homosexuality, or to celibacy.

When prelates and lay delegates gather in October for the Synod of Bishops, they will be asked to directly confront pressing questions — including the possibility of women deacons, access to the priesthood for married men, the integration of LGBTQ+ Catholics, and penance for sexual abuse and the abuse of power, conscience and money.

During a private meeting with John Kerry on June 19, Pope Francis signaled an openness to attending the COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this year.

Pope Francis has relieved Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the longtime personal secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, of his duties as prefect of the papal household and sent him home to Germany without an assignment, the Vatican announced on June 15.

Amid concerns about past financial dealings and possible conflicts of interest, Oblate Fr. Andrew Small's leadership of the Vatican's clergy sex abuse commission is being questioned.

Pope Francis continues to recover well and is showing signs of progress, the Vatican said on June 8, one day after the pope successfully underwent a three-hour operation to repair a hernia.