Pope Francis on Sunday hailed the release of Cuban prisoners as a “gesture of great hope” that he prayed would be undertaken elsewhere, as he welcomed an agreement the Vatican helped facilitate as part of a three-way dialogue with Washington and Havana that dates back to the Cuban missile crisis.

Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, the highest authority of the Catholic Church in Cuba, admitted on Tuesday that he was unaware of the

Pope Francis is taking the highly unusual decision to dissolve an influential Catholic group from Peru which has been plagued by allegations of abuse from within its community, including allegations related to its founder,

Pope Francis has praised Cuba's decision to release 553 prisoners as a sign of hope, facilitated by Vatican-brokered discussions involving the US. This move aligns with the pope's tradition of urging clemency during Holy Years.

The Cuban government’s announcement of the prisoner release dated Jan. 14 cited 'the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025' and noted Pope Francis’ mediation in the negotiations.

Constantly in the public eye, Pope Francis is instantly recognisable across the globe, and his likeness adorns t-shirts, mugs, calendars, bookmarks, medals and jewellery, among other things. Too conservative for some, not conservative enough for others, he is the face of the modern Catholic Church.

Someone in the queue behind him said “let’s hope he accepts”, but he was, it seems, deaf to all the signs he was in the running. An archbishop asked him, would he accept? “No cardinal can say no”, he said.

Pope Francis has dissolved a Catholic religious community with members across South America and the United States, following years of investigations into alleged sexual and psychological abuse by the group's founder and others.

Pope Francis on Sunday hailed the release of Cuban prisoners as a "gesture of great hope" that he prayed would be undertaken elsewhere, as he welcomed an agreement the Vatican helped facilitate as part of a three-way dialogue with Washington and Havana that dates back to the Cuban missile crisis.

Pope Francis received one of the U.S.'s top honors, published a memoir, and facilitated relations between Washington and Havana.

This week, Pope Francis received one of the U.S.'s top honors, published a memoir, and facilitated relations between Washington and Havana. KUOW is Seattle’s NPR news station. We are an ...

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba on Thursday released prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer from prison, as part of a government decision to gradually free more than 500 prisoners following talks with the Vatican.