The first major revision of Catholic canon law in nearly four decades redefines clerical sex abuse and mandates specific punishments. It also sets punishments for the attempted ordination of women.
Pope Francis decreed that all bishops and cardinals can be tried if suspected of criminal behavior. He also banned Vatican employees from accepting gifts amounting to more than 40 euros (about $48).
The new rules are also aimed at shutting down the churches "envelope" culture — requiring a limit on the value of gifts that cardinals and managers can receive.
During Sunday's ceremony, the pope had harsh words for armed forces, support for struggling countries, and urged the use of vaccinations to curb the pandemic.
The pontiff arrived at Baghdad International Airport where he was greeted by the prime minister. During his four-day visit, Francis will focus on Iraq's ancient but dwindling Christian community.
The pope and the president share liberal stances on climate change and economic disparity. A theology scholar argues U.S. Catholic Church leadership is increasingly allied with the political right.
Many Iraqis — Christian and Muslim — say they are excited about the first papal visit to the country, raising hopes of religious tolerance in the face of extremist violence.
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Robert Sarah as head of the Vatican's liturgy department. The Vatican did not provide a reason for the removal of the outspoken conservative.
In remarks at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol and urged Americans to come together for the "common good."
"Vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy of all regions of the planet," Pope Francis said at the Vatican on a subdued Christmas Day.
Only 100 or so people attended the service, and they wore masks and socially distanced. The Mass began two hours early so all could make it home before Italy's virus curfew.
The Vatican said it's permitted to get COVID-19 vaccines due to the "grave danger" of the pandemic, even if scientists used "cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process."
People who claim that mask mandates deprive them of their personal freedom, Francis says, are "victims only in their own imagination." The book also addresses demonstrations against racial injustice.
The report on the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked last year, states that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were aware of the accusations of sexual misconduct.
Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who will be the first Black American Catholic cardinal, talks about the historic nature of his position, the political issues that inform his work in the church and more.
"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," the pope said in an interview in the film Francesco, which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival.
Italian police arrested a woman linked to a cardinal fired by Pope Francis, the latest development in an investigation into alleged financial crimes involving the Vatican.
A step-by-step manual for investigating and reporting sexual abuse cases involving clergy calls on church authorities to alert civilian officials even if not required to do so by law.
The pope says the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing hypocrisy and misplaced priorities in the modern world, as he calls on people to remember their shared humanity.
The "Urbi et Orbi" blessing is normally delivered at Christmas and Easter. The delivered his homily against the dramatic backdrop of an empty St. Peter's Square, glistening in the rain.
Bishops from the Amazon region had sought the changes to address a shortage of clergy. But some Roman Catholic conservatives warned that enacting them would lead to the end of clerical celibacy rules.
Francesca Di Giovanni is the first woman to have a managerial role in the Secretariat of State, one of the most important departments in the Vatican. She has been working there for 27 years.
The surprise move is seen as a rebuke to Pope Francis, who is weighing whether to allow older, married men to be ordained in some South American countries, where a shortage of priests is acute.
"It is injustice that turns them away from places where they might have hope for a dignified life, but instead find themselves before walls of indifference," the pontiff said in his holiday address.
The changes apply to cases of clergy committing violence or sexual assaults against anyone under their authority, as well as minors. The pope also changed rules about child pornography.
