Pope Francis
266th pope of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025 (1936–2025)
Photo: Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name), CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 3d ago
Archbishop blesses AI-generated icon of Carlo Acutis in Belarus, drawing believers' criticism
Former archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz blessed the image on Sunday, 11 October, in Novolukoml. Believers criticised it online, saying a picture generated by artificial intelligence cannot be considered an icon.
- 4d ago
Meloni says AI governance is urgent and defends Italy's 60 billion euro energy spending
Speaking to Assolombarda's general assembly in Milan, Meloni said AI governance must be tackled globally and that over 60 billion euros has been allocated against energy price rises.
- Oct 9
Pope Leo names Filipino Cardinal Tagle dean of the College of Cardinals
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 69, replaces 92-year-old Giovanni Battista Re in a post that runs a papal transition and shapes who votes in the next conclave.
- Oct 5
Vatican and Penguin to publish Pope Francis's private diaries covering 32 years of personal notes across 94 countries
A collection of personal notes written by the late Pope Francis between December 1992 and August 2024 will be released worldwide in five languages on 24 November 2026.
- Oct 3
Pope Leo XIV replaces Cardinal Gambetti at Saint Peter's and names him Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Mauro Gambetti as Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, ending his five-year administration as Archpriest of Saint Peter's Basilica.
- Oct 2
Italy marks Grandparents Day as over 12 million seniors provide key informal welfare
Italian leaders and advocacy groups commemorated Grandparents Day on 2 October, presenting demographic data showing 14.8 million seniors supporting childcare and family finances.
- Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV visits France, meeting Macron and addressing 80,000 youth in Paris
Pope Leo XIV traveled to Paris for his first apostolic visit to France, meeting President Emmanuel Macron, addressing assisted dying laws, and visiting the Maison Bakhita integration center.
- Sep 16
Barack Obama announces death of family Portuguese Water Dog Sunny at 13
Former President Barack Obama announced on 16 September 2026 that the family's Portuguese Water Dog Sunny died on Tuesday after 13 years with the household, having lived at the White House during his second term.
- Sep 14
Pope Leo XIV repeals 2021 salary cuts for cardinals and senior Vatican officials
Pope Leo XIV has issued a motu proprio abolishing 2021 pandemic pay reductions of up to 10% for Roman Curia leadership, taking effect from 1 September 2026 following improved Holy See finances.
- Aug 23
Vatican plans €100 million agrivoltaic plant to achieve energy self-sufficiency
The Holy See will build an 80 to 90 megawatt agrivoltaic facility outside Rome to cover the electricity needs of Vatican City and its affiliated institutions.
- Aug 22
Two street vendors die from suspected generator fumes at Allumiere Palio festival
A 15-year-old boy and an adult vendor died in an enclosed food stall in Allumiere, Italy, following suspected carbon monoxide poisoning from a power generator.
- Aug 22
Pope Leo XIV visits San Marino and addresses 60,000 youth in Rimini
Pope Leo XIV conducted a pastoral trip to San Marino and Rimini on 22 August 2026, meeting state leaders, speaking to 60,000 youth at Rimini Fiera, and celebrating a beachfront mass for 25,000 people.
- Aug 18
ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies at 77 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas
Frank Beard, who played drums for ZZ Top for more than five decades, died in hospice care at his Texas ranch on 17 August 2026.
- Aug 15
Granada inspects 580 buildings as seismic swarm reaches 621 tremors
Municipal technicians in Granada have evaluated more than 580 buildings following a series of 621 tremors that began on 14 August, barring entry to 14 structures while public services and the Alhambra remain open.
- Aug 5
Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November in his first Latin American trip as pontiff
Pope Leo XIV will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026, in his first Latin American trip as pontiff, returning to Peru where he served as bishop of Chiclayo and marking the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly four decades.
- Aug 1
Patti Smith meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican: two Chicago natives, a crucifix and a joke about English
The 79-year-old rock icon and poet, wearing a crucifix, was received by the pontiff in the Apostolic Palace on Friday, with Vatican official Antonio Spadaro describing the 'lengthy' talk as a chat between 'old friends'.
- Jul 31
Milan bids farewell to Don Antonio Mazzi, Exodus founder, with 'Io vagabondo' and a 'prayer of ciao'
The funeral for Don Antonio Mazzi, the 96-year-old founder of the Exodus recovery community, was held at Milan's Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio on Monday, drawing nearly a thousand people including city officials, celebrities, and former addicts he helped.
- Jul 28
Zelenskyy presses Trump for Patriot missile production license in private White House meeting
Ukraine's president pressed Donald Trump to greenlight domestic manufacturing of Patriot interceptor missiles during a closed-door White House meeting, citing a sharp increase in Russian ballistic attacks and critical shortages of PAC-3 rounds.
- Jul 12
Mattarella joins Andria ceremony marking 10 years since Puglia train crash that killed 23
President Sergio Mattarella laid a wreath and greeted victims' families in Andria on the 10th anniversary of the head-on collision that killed 23 and injured 51 on the single-track Andria-Corato line.
- Jul 7
Cardinal López Romero steps aside after five women accuse him of sexual misconduct
The Archbishop of Rabat temporarily withdraws from public ministry after at least five women accused him of sexual violence, triggering a Vatican investigation.
