John Paul Ii

Pope Francis to visit Mexico: Here are five things you need to know

Pope Francis travels to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas.

'Put mercy before judgement': Pope Francis opens 'Holy Door', launches Catholic Jubilee

Pope Francis on Tuesday launched an extraordinary Catholic Jubilee year of mercy by opening a "Holy Door" in the walls of St Peter's, embracing a 700-year-old tradition as he urged his Church to reach out to the modern world.

Pope Francis presides over historic day of four popes

Pope Francis declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints on Sunday before hundreds of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI.

Two living popes to honour two dead ones: All you need to know

In a historic match-up of papacies past and present, Pope Francis and emeritus Pope Benedict XVI will honor Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in the first ever canonization of two popes.

On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis poses for selfies with faithfuls

In his homily, Francis called on people, himself included, to look into their own hearts to see how they are living their lives.

Pope blasts abortion, encourages Catholic doctors to refuse to perform them

Pope Francis offered an olive branch of sorts to the doctrine-minded, conservative wing of the Catholic Church on Friday as he denounced abortion as a symptom of today's "throw-away culture" and encouraged Catholic doctors to refuse to perform them

Brazilian crowds delight Pope Francis, frustrate security

A wrong turn sent a humble Fiat carrying Pope Francis into the thick of a frenzied Rio crowd on Monday, in his first minutes back in South America since becoming pontiff.

John Paul miracle woman cries describing cure

A Costa Rican woman whose brain aneurysm reportedly disappeared after she prayed to Pope John Paul II broke down in tears Friday as she publicly spoke for the first time about the church-confirmed miracle underlying John Paul's case for sainthood.

John Paul II cleared for sainthood by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthohod, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession.