Top Vatican official denies fraud allegations, accuses Pope of firing him

Pope Francis expresses his personal shame and that of the Church at the sexual abuse of children by French Catholic clergy, and offers the victims his prayers, after the scale of the problem was laid bare in a devastating report. An independent commission revealed earlier this week that French Catholic clergy sexually abused around 216,000 minors over seven decades since 1950, calling the scandal a "massive phenomenon" that was covered up by a "veil of silence".

Pope Francis expresses his compassion for the victims of the recent attacks in Norway, Afghanistan and England stressing that "violence begets violence."

A boy walks unexpectedly and repeatedly on stage to say hello to Pope Francis during the weekly Wednesday audience at the Vatican. After the child walks on the stage for the third time, the Pope says he wishes to "thank this child for the lesson he taught" because "he has acted from the heart."

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said the Catholic Church needs to be more transparent about abuse scandals. He and the pope also criticized a lack of coherent EU immigration policy with regard to refugees.

Religious minorities in India have reported increased discrimination and violence since Narendra Modi took office in 2014. The pope wants to make an official trip to the South Asian nation, but has so far been shunned.

Pope Francis said that those who are indifferent to the poor "offend God." In a Christmas season overshadowed by coronavirus worries, he also urged followers to value the "little things in life."

Former Pope Benedict XVI failed to act over four child abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich, a German probe into the Catholic Church has alleged. ... But a new report into historical abuse allegations carried out by a German law firm incriminated the former pontiff.

A man interrupted Pope Francis' general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, shouting "This is not the Church of God" in English and waving a medical mask he had removed from his face before being taken away by police, a Reuters witness said.

Pope says he is no saint, reveals he danced tango in TV interview

The retired German pontiff has apologized for any "grevious faults" in the way he dealt with sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, but denied any personal wrongdoing.

Rainer Maria Woelki, the controversial archbishop of Cologne, has come under fire for his handling of abuse cases in the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis delivered on the reforms promised years ago by allowing any baptized Catholic — man or woman — to lead major departments at the Vatican.