Page 3 - Pope Francis

Australians begin voting in polls as Pope's death overshadows campaigning

Australians began voting Tuesday at general elections as campaigning was overshadowed by the death of Pope Francis. Polling stations opened to voters who for a variety of reasons will be unable to vote on May 3. Around half the votes are expected to be cast before the election date. Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton cancelled campaign events planned for Tuesday out of respect for the late pontiff. Flags were flown at half staff from government buildings across the country where a 2021 census found 20% of the population were Catholics. Albanese was raised as a Catholic but chose to be sworn in as prime minister when he was elected in 2022 by making a secular affirmation rather than by taking an oath on a Bible. Albanese attended a Mass in honour of the pope in Melbourne's St. Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday morning. I try not to talk about my faith in public, Albanese told reporters. At times like this, I think what people do is they draw on w

Trump, Melania to attend Pope Francis' funeral; Prince William may join

Pope Francis passed away on Easter Sunday following a prolonged illness and hospitalisation

Pope Francis was both controversial figure and spiritual guide in Argentina

The faithful in Pope Francis' hometown lit candles in the church where he found God as a teenager, packed the cathedral where he spoke as archbishop and prayed Monday in the neighbourhoods where he earned fame as the slum bishop." For millions of Argentines, Francis who died Monday at 88 was a source of controversy and a spiritual north star whose remarkable life traced their country's turbulent history. Conservative detractors criticised the only Latin American pope's support for social justice as an affinity for leftist leaders. They pointed to his warm meetings with former President Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner, a highly divisive left-leaning populist figure whose policies many Argentines blame for the nation's economic ruin. They compared their enthusiastic encounters to his curt meeting with centre-right former President Mauricio Macri, captured in an unusually stern-faced photo in 2016. Like every Argentine, I think he was a rebel, said 23-year-old Catalina Favaro, who had

India announces 3-day state mourning on passing of Pope Francis

The government on Monday announced a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect on the passing away of Pope Francis. Francis, who was the first non-European Pope in nearly 1,300 years, died on Monday. He was 88. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, "His Holiness Pope Francis, Supreme Pontiff of the Holy See passed away on April 21. As a mark of respect, three-day state mourning shall be observed throughout India." As per the schedule, two days' state mourning will be on April 22 (Tuesday) and April 23 (Wednesday). Besides, one day's state mourning will be on the day of the funeral, the statement said. During the period of the state mourning, the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India on all buildings where the national flag is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment, it added.

Pope Francis dies on Easter Monday after long battle with illness

Pope Francis had recently had a lengthy stay in a Rome hospital suffering from double pneumonia

These cardinals are seen as leading contenders to become next pope

A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal. It implies the sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest or campaign, but rather the divinely inspired election of Christ's Vicar on Earth by the princes of the church. Still, there are always front-runners, known as papabile, who have at least some of the qualities considered necessary to be pope much like those depicted in last year's Oscar-nominated film Conclave. Any baptized Catholic male is eligible, though only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to participate. Pope Francis, who died Monday, appointed the vast majority of electors, often tapping men who share his pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity rather than rupture. Anyone trying to handicap the outcome should remember that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered too old to be elected pop

US Vice President JD Vance offers condolences on Pope Francis' passing

Vance and Pope Francis exchanged Easter greetings, although they reportedly had a dispute over the Trump administration's migrant deportation plans

'Deeply pained': PM Modi expresses sorrow over Pope Francis's death

Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia

Pope Francis passes away: Here is how the Vatican selects a new pontiff

The death of a sitting pope initiates a profound period of mourning and transition within the Roman Catholic Church, marked by a meticulously structured process to elect a new pontiff

Pope Francis (1936-2025): The Argentine pontiff who led with mercy, reforms

Pope Francis passed away at 88. As the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, he was renowned for his humility, advocacy for the marginalised, and efforts to reform the Catholic Church

JD Vance visits Vatican after Pope's rebuke of Trump migrant crackdown

US Vice President JD Vance is meeting with the Vatican No. 2 official, following a remarkable papal rebuke of the Trump administration's crackdown on migrants and Vance's theological justification of it. Vance, a Catholic convert, was due to meet Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. There was speculation he might also briefly greet Pope Francis, who has begun resuming some official duties during his recovery from pneumonia. Vance was spending Easter weekend in Rome with his family and attended Good Friday services in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Francis and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration's plans to deport migrants en masse. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy and his progressive views on social justice issues have often put him at odds with members of the more conservative US Catholic Church. Vance, who converted in 2019, identifie

JD Vance visits Italy, Vatican after tangling with pope on migration

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Rome on Friday for meetings with the Vatican No. 2 and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh off the Italian leader's visit to the White House a day earlier. Meloni, who has positioned herself as a bridge between the US and Europe, received praise from President Donald Trump for her crackdown on migration during a meeting at the Oval Office on Thursday. Vance, who attended the meetings, was scheduled to meet with the Italian leader Friday in Rome and planned to attend Easter weekend events at the Vatican. He was scheduled to meet with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the White House said. No meeting with Pope Francis was announced. The 88-year-old pope has sharply cut back his work schedule as he recovers from a near-fatal case of double pneumonia. Francis and Vance, a Catholic convert, have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration's plans to deport migrants en masse. Just days before he was .

Pope makes surprise visit to St Peter's, greets papal tomb restorers

Two art restorers were putting the final touches on a months-long restoration of the tomb of Pope Urban VIII, who in 1626 consecrated St Peter's Basilica, when the convalescing Pope Francis appeared, unannounced, in a wheelchair his third such surprise appearance in less than a week. Francis thrilled the crowd at St Peter's during a Jubilee Mass for the ill on Sunday, met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday, before the impromptu turn through St Peter's Basilica on Thursday. "We didn't know if we could approach him. We greeted him from afar," Lorena Araujo Pinheiro said on Friday as officials unveiled the last of three restoration projects in the basilica for the Jubilee Holy Year, an ancient church tradition encouraging the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome. Then the pope and three people accompanying him motioned for the two restorers to come closer. He thanked us many times for the work," said Michela Malfatti. "Then he asked me if he could take my

Pope Francis greets public in first appearance since hospital release

Seated in a wheelchair and assisted by a nasal cannula for oxygen, Pope Francis was rolled to the front of the altar where he warmly greeted the gathered faithful with a wave

Pope's willingness to show his frailty provides example to young, old alike

Pope Francis' frailty was on full view as he left Rome's Gemelli hospital last Sunday after five weeks battling pneumonia that nearly killed him. He could barely lift his arms to bless the crowd. His eyes were sunken, face bloated. And he visibly gasped for breath as he was wheeled back inside from the balcony. Throughout history, the powerful have concealed their weaknesses. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the most photographed figure of his era, took pains to hide his lame arm. Franklin Delano Roosevelt concealed the use of a wheelchair. More recently, former President Biden shook off concerns about his cognitive abilities. By contrast, Francis, a spiritual and not political leader, has never been shy about showing his weakness. For many, his willingness to be seen in all his infirmity serves as an example to young and old alike that fragility is part of the human condition and should be embraced. Who cares if he had sunken eyes, who cares if he looks bloated. It is part of his li

Pope Francis' doctors considered stopping treatment after breathing crisis

Pope Francis' medical team briefly considered suspending treatment after a February 28 breathing crisis but instead decided on an aggressive course that put his organs at risk, the doctor coordinating the pope's hospital care said in an interview published Tuesday. Dr. Sergio Alfieri said the 88-year-old pontiff and people close to him alike understood that he might not survive the night,' after the bronchospasm attack during which the pope inhaled vomit. "We needed to choose whether to stop and let him go, or to push it and attempt with all of the possible drugs and the treatments, taking the very high risk of damaging other organs,' Alfieri told the Milan daily Corriere della Sera. In the end, that is the path we chose. Francis was released Sunday after 38 days of treatment for double pneumonia, under doctors' orders to observe two months of convalescence during which he should avoid large gatherings. The pope appeared weak and frail when he greeted the crowd outside the Gemelli

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Pope returns back home at Vatican after 5-week hospital treatment

Pope Francis is making his first public appearance in five weeks before being discharged Sunday from the hospital where he survived a severe case of pneumonia that twice threatened his life and raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral. The 88-year-old pontiff plans to offer a Sunday blessing from the 10th-floor papal suite at Rome's Gemelli hospital. After saying goodbye to hospital staff, he is to return to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence during which time doctors have said he should refrain from meeting in big groups or exerting himself. But Francis' personal doctor, Dr Luigi Carbone, told a hastily arranged press conference Saturday evening that the pope eventually should be able to resume all his normal activities as long as he maintains the slow and steady progress he has registered to date. His return home, after the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history, ...

Pope Francis to be released from the hospital on March 23, say doctors

Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened

Pope Francis advisers say he'll recover, a 'new stage' is opening for him

Pope Francis is recovering well from pneumonia and a new stage in his pontificate is opening, two of his closest advisers said, offering notes of optimism as the 88-year-old pontiff hit the five-week mark in his hospitalisation. Archbishop Edgar Pea Parra said he had found Francis in good humour and serene during the three times he has visited the pope at the Gemelli hospital in Rome. Pea Parra, who is the Vatican chief of staff, visited Francis on February 24, March 2 and March 9 along with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the lone Vatican officials who have called on him aside from his personal secretaries. The pope will recover," Pea Parra said on the sidelines of a book launch. The pope is recovering well. The doctors say that he needs some time, but it's going well progressively." I found him well, serene, in good humour, and just like him tough with the desire to go forward, he said. The Vatican press office reported Friday that Francis' overall ...