Joshua J. McElwee

Pope Francis will be creating a new official ministry in the Catholic Church for those who teach children and others the fundamentals of the faith, the Vatican announced May 5.

The Vatican is sponsoring a virtual conference on advances in medical technology May 6-8 that includes a number of American physicians and the CEOs of Moderna and Pfizer.

Pope Francis on April 13 accepted the resignation of Crookston, Minnesota, Bishop Michael Hoeppner, who had been under investigation for more than a year over allegations of mishandling cases of clergy sexual abuse.

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has expressed unhappiness with the Vatican's recent decree banning Catholic priests from blessing same-sex couples, in what appears to be the first example of a cardinal openly disagreeing with the measure.

Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor known for using Twitter and media appearances to point out powerful prelates not reporting abuse cases, will join 15 of the other previous members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Two Catholic cardinals defended Pope Francis' decision to approve a decree that bans priests from blessing same-sex unions, saying that the church needs to be clear in its teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Pope Francis defended his trip to Iraq, despite the possibility of spreading the coronavirus in the country.

Pope Francis urged Iraqi Christians not to lose hope and not to seek vengeance over their suffering during the Islamic State regime, in a pair of poignant visits March 7 to churches that were desecrated and destroyed by the terrorist group.

Invoking the shared origins of Christians, Muslims and Jews steps from the Ziggurat ruins of the ancient city that the Prophet Abraham once called home, Pope Francis March 6 called on Iraq's religious leaders to help the country heal and rebuild following decades of violence.

Pope Francis begins a three-day visit in Iraq by calling for peace in the war-ravaged country.

Pope Francis named Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, making him the second American now serving on the group tasked with advising the pontiff on which Catholic priests to appoint as bishops across the world.

In a March 2 briefing, the Vatican sought to downplay the risks of Pope Francis visiting Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that the March 5-8 events have been planned to maintain social distancing measures.

As Pope Francis plans to visit to Iraq March 5 to 8, Iraqi analysts and Christian leaders told NCR that the mere fact that he is coming should outweigh any problems.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Robert Sarah as the head of the Vatican's worship congregation Feb. 20, in an unexpected announcement ending the tenure of one of the Vatican officials most often seen as an opponent of the pontiff's vision for the global church.

The Vatican's worship congregation asked Catholic bishops globally Feb. 17 to make "prudent decisions" about how their communities should celebrate Easter this year given the continuing danger of spreading the coronavirus.

Pope Francis on Feb. 8 exhorted global governments to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic focused on creating a fairer market economy, addressing the rapidly escalating dangers of climate change, and providing basic healthcare to their citizens.

Pope Francis appointed two new undersecretaries for the Vatican's office of the Synod of Bishops Feb. 6, tasking an Augustinian priest and a Xavierian sister to share duties as the department's second-in-command leaders.

Jan. 30, Pope Francis urged those charged with passing on the principles of the Catholic faith to consider the teachings of the Second Vatican Council as sacrosanct.

A Vatican women's magazine has gently criticized the pope's recent remarks on naming women to positions of authority in the church, saying he touched a "sore point" by again warning against the so-called clericalization of women.

Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI have both received first doses of a coronavirus vaccine as part of the Vatican's inoculation campaign, the city-state announced Jan. 14.