The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, has formally invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Armenia during their first meeting at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
In a heartfelt departure from tradition, Pope Francis requested to be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, rather than the Vatican Grottoes where many of his predecessors lie, on April 26.
As of April 2025, Asia has become a major voice in the Catholic Church, contributing 37 cardinals to the College of Cardinals—23 of whom are electors, eligible to vote in a future papal conclave.
Cardinals gathered for their fourth General Congregation on April 25, Friday morning in the New Synod Hall, as the Church prepares to bid farewell to Pope Francis with the solemn funeral of “a shepherd, not a sovereign.”
In a historic and deeply symbolic decision, Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome following his funeral rites at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican is preparing to bid a final farewell to Pope Francis, whose funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 AM (GMT +2) in St. Peter’s Square.
Following the funeral rites of Pope Francis scheduled for Saturday, April 26, cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world will gather at the Vatican in the following days to participate in the conclave to elect the next pope.
Following the funeral of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has entered the ancient tradition of Novemdiales, a period of nine consecutive days of mourning.
The Holy See’s Office for Liturgical Celebrations has announced that the coffin of the late Pope Francis will be solemnly transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Vatican time.
The Vatican has officially announced that the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis will take place on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Vatican time (3:30 a.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Square.
With Pope Francis' passing on April 21, 2025, all cardinals are summoned to Rome, and the Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest religious institutions with up to 1.39 billion members, prepares for a conclave to elect his successor.
The canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is set to become the first millennial saint, has been deferred following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the first from Latin America, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 a.m. in his residence at Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City.
In his Easter Sunday message, read by Cardinal Angelo Comastri at Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis called on the faithful to seek the living Christ beyond the tomb and to carry the message of hope and newness into every corner of daily life.
On Good Friday evening, April 18, 2025, the faithful of Signa gathered in a solemn procession to commemorate the Passion of Christ through a deeply moving Via Crucis (Way of the Cross).
“Let us pray today for the joy of priests,” Pope Francis urged in his homily for the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday (April 17), inviting the faithful to support their priests as they continue to serve amid trials and renewal.
Following a devastating earthquake in Myanmar, Pope Francis has extended spiritual and material support to the affected communities, expressing deep concern for the victims and displaced.
Pope Francis has reformed the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, strengthening the Vatican’s diplomatic training in a bid to enhance the Church’s global engagement.
In a move aimed at enhancing pastoral care and transparency, the Dicastery for the Clergy has issued a new decree updating the norms on Mass intentions and collective offerings, with the approval of Pope Francis.
As Holy Week began with Palm Sunday, Pope Francis urged the faithful to walk with Jesus by embracing the crosses of the suffering, like Simon of Cyrene.
