Pope Francis thanks US nuns after 'radical' claim
Pope Francis thanked American nuns in a television special to be aired Friday, defusing tensions that arose after an investigation under the previous pontiff accused them of promoting "radical feminist themes"
Pope to lead thousands through New York's Central Park
Pope Francis will lead a vast procession of thousands through Central Park during his historic visit to the United States later this month.
Israel PM criticised for eating at 'temple of gourmet dining'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism from ultra-Orthodox politicians for having eaten in a non-kosher restaurant serving rabbit, escargot and lobster.
Tens of thousands take holy dip at India's Kumbh Mela
Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims and holy men washed away their sins with a religious dip on the first main bathing day of India's Kumbh Mela festival.
Pope urged to condemn gay unions as unnatural
Nearly half a million Catholics have signed a petition urging Pope Francis to condemn same sex unions as unnatural and rule out allowing divorced believers who remarry to receive communion.
Pope takes message of inclusion to Bolivia
Pope Francis greeted Bolivians with a message of inclusio, a central theme of his three-nation tour to his home continent.
Pope Francis celebrates Ecuador mass with huge crowd
Pope Francis celebrated an open-air mass with hundreds of thousands of faithful under scorching heat in Ecuador, highlighting the importance of family on his return to his home region.
Pope Francis takes message to forgotten corners of home continent
Pope Francis embarks on an eight-day visit to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, three of South America's 'peripheral' countries which share common challenges in addressing poverty.
Charleston church holds first service since massacre
The historic black church in South Carolina where a white gunman murdered nine African Americans, held its first church service since the massacre.
Tens of thousands pray at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa for Ramadan
Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers streamed through Jerusalem's Old City to one of Islam's most revered sites as Israel eased restrictions for the fasting month of Ramadan.
Hate and extremism 'not Islam', says French PM
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stressed there was no link between extremism and Islam.
Ban Ki-moon to visit Astana on June 10
Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Kazakhstan on June 10.
Pope Francis heads to Sarajevo with reconciliation message
Pope Francis flies into Sarajevo bearing a message of reconciliation 20 years after peace accords which ended Bosnia's war but left the country divided on ethnic lines
Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Roman Curia, to attend the V Congress of World Religions in Astana
Pope Francis will not be attending the event: Vice Minister of Culture and Sports.
Ireland's gay marriage vote was "a defeat": Vatican daily
The Irish vote in favour of gay marriage constitutes "a defeat" that highlights a gap between the Church and modern society.
Church unnerved by Ireland's huge 'Yes' to gay marriage
The once-dominant Catholic Church in Ireland was trying to come to terms with an overwhelming vote in favour of gay marriage.
French Muslim girl banned from class for wearing long skirt
The case of a Muslim girl who was banned from class twice for wearing a long black skirt seen as too openly religious for secular France has sparked an outcry.
Pope condemns resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe
Pope Francis condemned a "worrying" resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe and urged the continuation of dialogue between Christians and Jews.
Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulates Kazakhstan on Easter
President of Kazakhstan has extended his congratulations on the Easter holiday to Kazakhstan.
Pope on diplomatic tightrope with Armenian genocide mass
Pope Francis will mark the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians with a special ceremony.