Faith

An annual New Year tradition has returned in Brazil, where the faithful are flocking to the beach to pay tribute to the queen of the sea.

Pope Francis strongly defended immigrants at his Christmas Eve Mass on Sunday, comparing them to Mary and Joseph finding no place to stay in Bethlehem and saying faith demands that foreigners be welcomed.

Pope Francis tells a crowd in St. Peter's Square to lift up their hearts and not their cell phones, which he calls a "very ugly thing".

Pope Francis backs science and implicitly criticizes the United States for pulling out of the Paris climate accord.

The Vatican, at the start of a conference on protecting children from online sexual abuse, pledged on Tuesday to seek the truth about one of its diplomats whom it recalled after he became suspected of possessing child pornography.

A holy cleanup was underway at Jerusalem's Western wall, as scores of worshippers' paper notes to God were removed to make room for fresh ones with the Jewish New Year.

Pope Francis said he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump would rethink his decision to end a program protecting undocumented immigrant children, saying it was important for young people to have roots.

Londoners of all faiths and backgrounds gather at an open Iftar event to break the Ramadan fast and celebrate diversity.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday and spoke in private before exchanging gifts. Trump promised he would not forget the pontiff's message during their half-hour discussion.

Pope Francis arrived in Portugal on Friday to canonise Portuguese shepherd children for Madonna visions.

Cuba's LGBT community holding its first transgender-led Mass this weekend, a breakthrough event for the Communist-ruled island.

In an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, Pope Francis said he was open to allowing Catholic married men to become priests - the latest controversial suggestion from the pontiff.