the church

Pope Leo has pledged action on clergy abuse following a meeting with French survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. The pledge comes after direct talks between the pontiff and victims' representatives, who have long pressed the Church for accountability and concrete measures. The commitment is being closely watched to see whether it translates into concrete institutional reform.

Speaking during a visit to the French shrine of Lourdes, Pope Francis said medicine must never become the servant of programmed death, a remark widely read as a rejection of euthanasia and assisted dying. The comments came at one of the Catholic Church's most important pilgrimage sites, which is closely associated with healing and care for the sick.

The Vatican has formally described the destruction of the environment as an 'ecological sin', a move championed by Pope Francis as part of his push to make climate protection a moral and religious duty. The framing, promoted through France 24's 'Down to Earth' programme, has drawn attention to how the Catholic Church is seeking to mobilise its global followers around environmental responsibility and the ethics of caring for the planet.

The Pope met with French survivors of clergy child abuse in an emotional two-hour meeting and pledged concrete action to address the scandal. The encounter comes amid continuing pressure on the Catholic Church over its handling of abuse cases in France, where official inquiries have documented widespread abuse by clergy over decades.

The Pope has celebrated a large open-air Mass in Paris during a landmark visit to France, drawing crowds in the French capital. The trip is being closely watched as a significant moment for the Catholic Church's relationship with France, though further details of the visit and reactions to it remain limited in available reports.

Pope Francis has called on the Catholic Church to acknowledge and confront its failings as it prepares to meet victims of clerical sexual abuse. The appeal, reported by Reuters, frames the upcoming gathering with survivors as a moment for honesty and accountability. The Church continues to face scrutiny over its handling of abuse scandals worldwide.

Pope Leo called on the Catholic Church to confront its failings ahead of a meeting with French survivors of clerical sexual abuse. The remarks, reported by Reuters and U.S. News & World Report, frame the encounter as a moment of accountability for the Church's handling of abuse, an issue that has deeply affected Catholic communities in France.

Pope Leo has defended his decision to intervene in France's debate over its end-of-life legislation, saying the Church has a duty to speak on moral questions that affect society. His comments come as France considers expanding assisted dying, a move the pontiff and Catholic leaders have publicly opposed, drawing both support and criticism.

A Sri Lankan court has handed down convictions over the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, in which coordinated bombings of churches and hotels in Colombo and elsewhere killed more than 250 people. The verdict marks a significant step in a long-running legal process that families of victims and religious communities have followed closely for years.

Pope Leo said during a visit to the French shrine town of Lourdes that the 'scourge' of abuse must be rooted out, addressing the clerical abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church. The remarks came as part of his pilgrimage to one of the world's most important Marian pilgrimage sites, and were reported widely by international media.

Pope Leo travelled to Metz, France, and waded into Europe's increasingly polarised debate over immigration. The visit places the pontiff at the heart of a controversy dividing European governments and publics, with the Catholic Church long balancing calls for compassion toward migrants against security concerns driving hardline policies across the continent.

Church leaders are pressing Catholics to keep helping immigrants even as the government defends its deportation policies. The appeal underscores an ongoing tension between religious institutions and immigration authorities, with clergy framing aid to migrants as a moral duty while officials stand by enforcement of removals.

The Pope has dismissed claims that concerns about artificial intelligence amount to "fake news", directly contradicting President Donald Trump, who has called AI fears a "hoax". The exchange sets the head of the Catholic Church against the US president over how seriously the risks of artificial intelligence should be taken, adding a prominent religious voice to a growing political debate.

Pope Leo, leader of the Catholic Church, said concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence are not 'fake news' and that AI safety issues should be taken seriously and acted on. The remarks add the Vatican's moral weight to ongoing global debates about regulating AI, drawing attention from commentators discussing the ethical and economic implications of the technology.

Authorities have linked a man found dead in an Idaho church roughly 40 years ago to the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area and triggered a nationwide panic. The connection revives one of America's most notorious unsolved criminal cases and raises new questions about who was responsible.

The Pope told French bishops that the Catholic Church carries a prophetic authority to speak in the public square, addressing them on the Church's role in public life. The remarks were carried by Vatican News. The message underscores ongoing Vatican engagement with the French Church at a time of debate over secularism and religion's place in French society.

A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for bringing explosives into a church hosting an annual Red Mass, the ceremony traditionally held for judges and justices ahead of the legal year. The sentencing, reported by multiple national outlets, has drawn attention because of the event's close ties to the judiciary and the potential danger to those attending the service.

Pope Leo met with victims of church sexual abuse during a visit to Lourdes, France, one of Catholicism's most important pilgrimage sites. The meeting is a significant gesture as the Vatican continues to face scrutiny over its handling of clergy abuse scandals, and it is likely to draw attention from both supporters and critics of the Church's reform efforts.

Pope Leo said that concern over artificial intelligence is not 'fake news,' while stressing that he remains optimistic about the technology. His comments add the Vatican's voice to the global debate over AI's risks and benefits, signalling that the Catholic Church takes the alarm seriously but does not want to slide into fatalism about the future.

Pope Leo XIV criticized the legalization of medically assisted dying, calling it immoral and an example of "false compassion." He made the remarks during a Sunday visit to Lourdes, the Catholic shrine in France known for miraculous cures of the sick. The comments came as debates over assisted dying laws continue in several countries, drawing reactions from both supporters of the Church's stance and advocates of legal euthanasia.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass in Lourdes, France, urging the Catholic Church to acknowledge its own faults. His remarks, delivered at one of the world's best-known pilgrimage sites, call for humility and self-examination within the institution and are drawing attention as an early signal of his papacy's tone on reform and accountability.

The Wall Street Journal is running an opinion video asking whether the Church's era of liberalism is ending. The piece weighs whether liberal currents within the Church are losing ground to more conservative forces. Discussion of the Church's direction remains a live debate among commentators, with questions over doctrine, leadership and cultural shifts driving renewed attention.

Pope Leo addressed a crowd of around 150,000 pilgrims in Lourdes, France, calling on the Catholic Church to acknowledge and admit its mistakes. The remarks, delivered at one of the world's most famous Marian pilgrimage sites, are being read as a message of humility and institutional accountability, drawing wide attention from Catholics and observers of the Vatican alike.

Pope Leo is visiting Lourdes, the famed French Catholic pilgrimage site, in a trip that has turned into a fresh confrontation with the church's history of abuse and scandal, according to The Washington Post. The visit puts the pope at one of Catholicism's most sacred shrines while facing renewed questions over the institution's moral failings.

Pope Leo XIV has spoken publicly on clerical abuse, euthanasia and political issues concerning Germany. The remarks touch on some of the most contested debates facing the Catholic Church in the country, where abuse scandals and assisted dying remain sensitive topics. Details of what exactly was said are limited, but the combination of subjects has drawn attention to the Vatican's stance on German church affairs.

Pope Leo, visiting France, cautioned that a 'paradise of machines' could undermine humanity, warning that unchecked technological advancement risks eroding human dignity and relationships. The remarks come amid global debate over artificial intelligence's rapid development. Observers see the pope positioning the Catholic Church as a moral voice on technology, echoing earlier Vatican concerns about AI's social and ethical consequences.

The Catholic Church in Kenya has urged stronger protection for refugee and migrant children, calling on authorities and communities to safeguard unaccompanied and vulnerable minors from exploitation and abuse. The appeal highlights the plight of young people displaced across the Horn of Africa, many of whom arrive in Kenya without family support. Kenya hosts a large refugee population, mainly in Dadaab and Kakuma camps.

Church officials are calling for attention to the wellbeing of workers as artificial intelligence develops rapidly. Their message, reported by EWTN News, stresses that the race to adopt AI should not come at the expense of people's livelihoods and dignity. The intervention adds a moral voice to the ongoing global debate over automation and employment.

Pope Leo XIV said that defending life "is not entering into politics," pushing back against the idea that speaking on the sanctity of life is a partisan act. The remarks, carried by Rome Reports, frame the protection of human life as a moral duty rather than a political position, reigniting debate over the Church's role in public policy discussions.