Pope Francis

Pope Francis, speaking to journalists aboard the papal plane en route to France, said he travels to the country to proclaim Christ's peace. The remark came as the pontiff began his visit to France, framing the trip as a message of peace. Further details about his itinerary and reception were not provided.

Pope Francis has called on the Catholic Church to acknowledge and confront its failings as it prepares for a meeting with survivors of clerical sexual abuse. The appeal comes ahead of the encounter, which is expected to focus on accountability and support for victims, and has drawn attention to the Church's ongoing reckoning with its handling of abuse scandals worldwide.

The Vatican's top diplomat told the UN General Assembly that a two-state solution remains essential to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and called for limits on the development and use of artificial intelligence. The speech aligns with Pope Francis's repeated appeals for peace in the Middle East and for ethical guardrails on new technologies. It underscores the Holy See's effort to shape international debate on both conflicts and technology governance.

Pope Francis met with victims of clergy sexual abuse and called for 'wise leaders' in comments made as France prepares for its upcoming election. The meeting underscores the Catholic Church's ongoing reckoning with abuse scandals, while the Pope's remarks on leadership were widely read as a message aimed at voters ahead of the French vote.

Pope Francis brought a message on protecting life to the French shrine of Lourdes, a Marian pilgrimage site famous for reported miraculous healings. The visit ties the Vatican's defence-of-life teaching to one of Catholicism's most venerated places of prayer, drawing attention from Catholics worldwide and renewing focus on Lourdes' tradition of pilgrimage and claimed cures.

Pope Francis met with the bishops of France in the Sainte-Bernadette hemicycle of the Lourdes sanctuary. The gathering opened with a prayer and a hymn to the Holy Spirit before the Pope addressed the French episcopate. The meeting is being followed closely in France, where Lourdes remains the country's most important Catholic pilgrimage site.

Pope Francis has urged priests and religious in France to embrace a missionary conversion, calling on them to renew their commitment to evangelisation as the Church faces declining numbers across the country. The appeal, reported by Vatican News, frames the French Church's future around outreach rather than maintenance, with emphasis on parishes rethinking how they serve their communities.