“The ‘exorcism’ lasted 10 seconds. When Pope Francis arrived, he immediately rested his left hand on the young man’s head and spoke with a priest standing behind the wheelchair. The young man kissed the pope’s ring, suggesting that the devil was not in total control.” Photograph: AP/APTN

I’d been wondering when the media would get their teeth into Pope Francis. The initial response to the election of Cardinal Bergoglio was posit(...)

The Vatican has played down suggestions the pope may have performed an exorcism on a sick man. The pope laid his hands on the head of a y(...)

Pope Francis holds a dove before his Wednesday general audience at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican this week

In one of his most outspoken comments since his election two months ago, Pope Francis has called for worldwide “financial reform along ethical (...)

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned as head of the Catholic Church in Scotland after acknowledging sexual misconduct, will leave Scotland for months of “prayer and penance”, the Vatican said on today. Photograph : Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned as head of the Catholic Church in Scotland after acknowledging sexual misconduct, will leave Scotland for (...)

The Pope led a mass today for candidates for sainthood Antonio Primaldo, Mother Laura Montoya and Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters

Pope Francis has proclaimed as saints some 800 Italians killed in the 15th century for refusing to convert to Islam, and said many Christians (...)

Pope Francis said today that clergy who were “careerists” or “social climbers” were doing serious damage to the Catholic Church, his latest ut(...)

A file image of Fr  Denis Nulty who has been  appointed at the Bishop of  Kildare and Leighlin. Photograph: PA

The new bishop of Kildare and Leighlin has said these are “difficult days” for priests as they see their numbers dwindle but pledged to work to enc(...)

Workers were trapped under rubble at the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed. Photograph: Andrew Biraj/Reuters

The wife of a Bangladeshi garment worker who was killed when a building collapsed filed a murder complaint against the building’s owner today a(...)

It is hoped that in the days before the big game Pope Francis will receive two delegations from Roma and Lazio in a papal audience. Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters

Legend has it that St Francis could talk to the birds and tame wolves. His namesake Pope Francis, however, may shortly be faced with an equally(...)

Outgoing Bishop of Kerry Dr Bill Murphy.

Anne Lucey A 56-year-old parish priest in Roscommon is to be the new Bishop of Kerry. Raymond A Browne, a graduate of St Patrick’s (...)

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