The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified.

Remembered as a humble leader and a defender of the most vulnerable, especially unborn children, St. John Paul II described the fifth king of Belgium as a “great guardian of the rights of the human conscience.

ROME — The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion. The Holy See’s saint-making office on Dec ...

"I invite every individual, and all people of all nations ... to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions," the pope said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to throngs of people below.

Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year.

Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Wednesday called for talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that followed Moscow's full-scale invasion two years ago and has killed tens of thousands.

The 88-year-old Pope Francis presided over Mass during the Night on Christmas Eve after opening the Holy Door to officially start the 2025 Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his shock and spiritual closeness. Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his shock at the deadly attack at a Christmas market in eastern Germany that claimed five lives, including that of a child, and left more than 200 injured.

The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.

The Vatican has taken the first main step to fulfill Pope Francis' wish that Belgium's late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.

In late November, during a brief audience with people involved in the sport of motorcycle racing, Pope Francis asked for prayers, joking that "my work is very accelerated, and my bike has aged and doesn't work properly!

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated a trio of candidates to positions in his administration, including “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett as special envoy to the U.K., David Fink as head of the Federal Railroad Administration and Aaron Reitz to lead the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy,