December 9, 2015 Pope Francis celebrates Christmas, wishes peace for Mideast Pope Francis prayed for hope and peace on Christmas Day Thursday, focusing on refugees, hostages and others suffering in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine.
December 9, 2015 Pope Francis confirms appearance at Philadelphia rally in September 2015 A pontiff who has long championed humble acts -- sneaking off to break bread with the homeless as an archbishop and washing the feet of young prisoners early in his papacy -- is coming to the City of Brotherly Love.
December 9, 2015 Pope Francis says Catholics don't have to 'breed like rabbits' Pope Francis is firmly upholding church teaching banning contraception, but said Monday that Catholics don't have to breed "like rabbits" and should instead practice "responsible parenting."
December 9, 2015 Pope meets with family who drove 13,000 miles to see him Pope Francis met Sunday with a family who made a 13,000-mile trip over 194 days from Argentina to Philadelphia in an old Volkswagen van.
December 9, 2015 Pope to meet sex abuse victims at Vatican next month, declares 'zero tolerance' for pedophile priests Pope Francis announced Monday that he planned to meet with a group of clergy sex abuse victims at the Vatican next month, the first such encounter for a pontiff who has been criticized by sex abuse victims for not expressing solidarity with them as he has for other groups.
December 8, 2015 Pope Francis prays for peace in Ukraine, Syria in Easter greeting Marking Christianity's most hopeful day, Pope Francis made an Easter Sunday plea for peace and dialogue in Ukraine and Syria, for an end to terrorist attacks against Christians in Nigeria and for more attention to the hungry and neediest close to home.
December 8, 2015 Defying pope, Italian church parade makes detour to stop by Mafioso's house in tribute In apparent defiance of Pope Francis, a church procession detoured from its route through a southern Italian town to honor a convicted mobster under house arrest.
December 8, 2015 Vatican estimates 100,000 attend Syria peace vigil Tens of thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square for a four-hour Syria peace vigil late Saturday, answering Pope Francis' call for a grassroots cry for peace that was echoed by Christians and non-Christians alike in Syria and in vigils around the world.
December 8, 2015 John Paul II gunman lays flowers at Vatican tomb The Turkish gunman who shot and wounded John Paul II in 1981 laid white flowers Saturday on the saint's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican officials said.
December 8, 2015 Vatican to display remains of St. Peter to public for first time The Vatican is planning to display the bones believed to be those of St. Peter, the leader of Christ's 12 apostles and the first bishop and Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, according to reports.
