AP Writer

Nicole Winfield

Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote. “One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know."

National Politics |
Pope slams Harris and Trump on anti-life stances, urges Catholics to vote for ‘lesser evil’

September 13, 2024 at 4:50 p.m.

Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote. “One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil,...

Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found four bodies Wednesday, as the search continued for two more missing passengers and questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly.

World News |
Divers find 4 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 2 more remain

August 21, 2024 at 11:39 a.m.

Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found four bodies Wednesday, as the search continued for two more missing passengers and questions intensified about why the vessel sank...

Police divers resumed searching Tuesday for six people, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, believed trapped some 50 meters (164 feet) underwater in the hull of a superyacht that sank in a storm off Sicily.

Deep seas and tight spaces impede search for 6 missing after yacht sinks off Sicily

August 20, 2024 at 5:29 p.m.

Police divers resumed searching Tuesday for six people, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, believed trapped some 50 meters (164 feet) underwater in the hull of a superyacht that sank...

British tech magnate Mike Lynch and several other people were among those missing after their luxury superyacht sank during a freak storm off Sicily early Monday, Italy’s civil protection and authorities said.

World News |
Search continues for British tech magnate and 5 others after luxury superyacht sinks off Sicily

August 19, 2024 at 8:30 p.m.

British tech magnate Mike Lynch and several other people were among those missing after their luxury superyacht sank during a freak storm off Sicily early Monday, Italy’s civil protection and...

Pope Francis has apologized after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church's ban on gay priests.

National News |
Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests

May 28, 2024 at 11:41 a.m.

Pope Francis has apologized after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church's ban on gay priests.

The Vatican says Pope Francis has skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy liturgical period. Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed the meditations that are read aloud at each station. But just as the event was about to begin, the Vatican announced that Francis was following the event from his home at the Vatican. He had skipped it in 2023 because he was recovering from bronchitis, but the decision this year appeared to have been made suddenly, since his chair and aides were on hand waiting for him.

World News |
Pope skips Good Friday event to preserve health ahead of Easter, Vatican says

March 31, 2024 at 8:02 p.m.

The Vatican says Pope Francis has skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy...

The longtime prefect of what is now named the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, is spilling the beans for the first time, revealing some of the secrets he has uncovered in the 45 years he has worked in one of the world’s most important, and unusual, repositories of documents.

World News |
The keeper of the Vatican’s secrets is retiring. Here’s what he wants you to know.

February 19, 2024 at 1:56 p.m.

The longtime prefect of what is now named the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, is spilling the beans for the first time, revealing some of the secrets he has...

Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.

World News |
Pope Francis calls for a universal ban on surrogacy. He says it exploits mother and child

January 8, 2024 at 3:18 p.m.

Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on what he called the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing...

Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in particular between Israel and the Palestinians.

World News |
Pope Francis denounces the weapons industry as he makes a Christmas appeal for peace in the world

December 25, 2023 at 11:37 a.m.

Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in...

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. The Vatican issued a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it. The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office was released Monday. It elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals and published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn’t confuse it with the ritual of marriage.

World News |
Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage

December 18, 2023 at 2:04 p.m.

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. The Vatican issued a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God’s...

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