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Pope Francis

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 1936 as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis is pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City State. He was elected by a papal conclave on March 13, 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013.

Born

17 Dec 1936

Industry

Religion

Job Title

Pontiff

Pope Leo XIV gestures from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after delivering his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (To the city and the world) message, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Religion

Pope Leo calls for peace, dialogue amid Ukraine, Iran wars in Easter mass

Leo addressed some 50,000 in St. Peter’s Square and quoted his predecessor, who reminded the faithful of the ‘great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day’.

5 Apr 2026 - 7:35PM

Italy

Pope Leo carries cross for full Good Friday procession

4 Apr 2026 - 1:24PM

Pope Leo XIV

Pope slams widening ‘chasms between the poor and the rich’ on Monaco visit

28 Mar 2026 - 6:50PM

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo laments world ‘in flames’ at Ash Wednesday service

The pontiff said the ashes could represent cities destroyed by war, as well as the damage to the environment and international law.

19 Feb 2026 - 3:06AM

Pope Leo XIV puts ash on the head of one of the faithful during the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome. Photo: Reuters

King Charles III

Britain’s King Charles calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Christmas speech

UK monarch praises the courage of those who risked their lives for others during his fourth Christmas broadcast as king.

26 Dec 2025 - 8:37AM

Pope Leo XIV

Pope calls for end to all wars in first Christmas as pontiff

‘May the clamour of weapons cease … and may the parties involved find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue’.

25 Dec 2025 - 7:54PMvideocam

United States

‘Architects of AI’ named Time’s 2025 Person of the Year

Time’s Person of the Year highlights how AI reshaped our world. Donald Trump was named 2024 honoree, succeeding 2023 winner Taylor Swift.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:14PM

The magazine cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence “roared into view” with no turning back. Photo: Shutterstock

Catholic Church

Vatican returns 62 artefacts connected to indigenous peoples from Canada

The move is part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in helping suppress indigenous culture in the Americas.

15 Nov 2025 - 8:11PM

Italy

Pope Leo visits ship sailing the Mediterranean on peace mission

Young people of different faiths have been sailing the Mediterranean on the Bel Espoir schooner vessel to promote peace and dialogue.

18 Oct 2025 - 6:11PM

King Charles III

King Charles to be first UK monarch to pray with pope in centuries

The occasion at the Sistine Chapel would mark a historic step towards unity between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

18 Oct 2025 - 1:59AM

Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla wave from the Buckingham Palace balcony during their coronation in London in May 2023. Photo: TNS

Artificial intelligence

‘I am Jesus, how may I help you?’ AI chatbots offer spiritual guidance

Apps like Text With Jesus let people ostensibly ask questions of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and other religious icons via AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

7 Oct 2025 - 12:38PM

The “Text With Jesus” chatbot app is displayed on an iPhone on October 2, 2025. AI-based religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialisation and engagement. Photo: AFP

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo declares teen computer whiz the first millennial saint

Carlo Acutis, who died at 15 in 2006, was known for using technology to spread his faith.

8 Sep 2025 - 10:53AM

Religion

LGBTQ Catholics celebrate acceptance in Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome

LGBTQ groups attribute the change to Pope Francis, who had insisted the Catholic Church was open to everyone.

6 Sep 2025 - 10:08PM

The Philippines

Binondo: inside the 400-year-old heart of Filipino-Chinese heritage

For centuries, Manila’s Binondo district has been the centre of a Tsinoy culture that helped build the Philippines into what it is today.

6 Sep 2025 - 12:00PM

A fire breather performs on the streets of Binondo for Lunar New Year in 2013. Photo: Xinhua

China-Vatican relations

Editorial | Cardinal’s meeting with Pope a good sign for Sino-Vatican relations

Hong Kong’s Catholic church has traditionally played a role in bridging the Vatican and the mainland, and it should continue to contribute in this way.

6 Sep 2025 - 7:15AM

Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong (right) speaks with Pope Leo XIV on September 2 at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Both held an in-depth exchange on the situation of the Church in China. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong politics

Pope Leo XIV pledges commitment to Beijing-Vatican ties: Hong Kong cardinal

Cardinal Stephen Chow reveals details after meeting the new pope for ‘an in-depth exchange on the situation of the church in China’.

4 Sep 2025 - 9:21PM

Israel-Gaza war

Israel voices regret for deadly strike on Gaza church after Trump call

The US president called Netanyahu after having ‘not a positive reaction’ to the news, with the PM blaming a ‘stray’ round for the casualties.

18 Jul 2025 - 8:04AM

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church kills 2, cathedral official says

The Israeli Defence Forces said they are reviewing the incident and regret any damage, while Pope Leo said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the attack.

17 Jul 2025 - 11:37PM

Worshippers walk outside after Christmas Eve mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said an Israeli strike killed two people at the church. Photo: AFP

Africa

Vatican beatifies Congo customs worker for resisting corruption

Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice across the Rwanda-DR Congo border.

15 Jun 2025 - 5:32PM

China-Vatican relations

Pope Leo prays for Chinese Catholics to be in communion with Rome

Pope prayed that Catholics in China ‘obtain the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials’.

26 May 2025 - 9:24AMvideocam

Pope Leo XIV

Vance gives Pope Leo an invitation from Trump to visit White House

The Chicago-born pope accepted the invitation letter and replied: ‘at some point’.

20 May 2025 - 4:28PM

US Vice-President J.D. Vance, left, and Pope Leo XIV during their meeting in the Vatican on Monday. Photo: Vatican Media Handout / EPA-EFE

European Union

At inaugural mass, Pope Leo warns against exploiting nature, marginalising poor

In a prayer after the mass, Leo noted efforts to end the Ukraine war before holding a private audience with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

19 May 2025 - 12:55AMvideocam

Pope Leo, right, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Sunday. Photo: Presidential Press Service / Handout / EPA-EFE

Religion

Opinion | Pope Leo stands as a counterpoint to Trump’s polarising leadership

Despite reservations about his US background, Leo’s ties to the Global South and support for the marginalised have won him global acceptance.

18 May 2025 - 2:00PMvideocam

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Like popes, China’s emperors went by titles that reflected their legacy

How Chinese emperors’ titles, like papal ones, reflected their legacies and why their birth names were considered taboo during their reigns.

17 May 2025 - 8:15AM

Religion

J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio to attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass

Pope Leo had been critical of Trump and Vance before taking leadership of the global Roman Catholic Church.

15 May 2025 - 11:54PM

US Vice-President J.D. Vance departs Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport, in Ciampino, Italy on April 20, 2025. Photo: AFP

Religion

Pope Leo offers to mediate between world leaders to end wars

Ending conflicts has been a dominant theme in Pope Leo’s addresses since he became pope last week.

14 May 2025 - 5:03PMvideocam

The new Pope Leo, who became head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics last week, also called on Christians living in the Middle East not to abandon their homes, in a speech to members of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Photo: AP

Italy

Pope Leo urges release of reporters held for ‘seeking truth’ at Vatican gathering

During the pope’s first address, President Zelensky invited him to Ukraine, seeking hope amid conflict.

12 May 2025 - 7:59PMvideocam

Catholic Church

Pope Leo appeals for global peace in first Sunday address

New pope denounces the number of conflicts ravaging the globe, calling it a ‘third world war in pieces’.

12 May 2025 - 11:24AM

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Pope Francis

Pope Leo calls for peace, dialogue amid Ukraine, Iran wars in Easter mass

Leo addressed some 50,000 in St. Peter’s Square and quoted his predecessor, who reminded the faithful of the ‘great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day’.

Pope Leo carries cross for full Good Friday procession

Pope slams widening ‘chasms between the poor and the rich’ on Monaco visit

Pope Leo laments world ‘in flames’ at Ash Wednesday service

The pontiff said the ashes could represent cities destroyed by war, as well as the damage to the environment and international law.

Britain’s King Charles calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Christmas speech

UK monarch praises the courage of those who risked their lives for others during his fourth Christmas broadcast as king.

Pope calls for end to all wars in first Christmas as pontiff

‘May the clamour of weapons cease … and may the parties involved find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue’.

‘Architects of AI’ named Time’s 2025 Person of the Year

Time’s Person of the Year highlights how AI reshaped our world. Donald Trump was named 2024 honoree, succeeding 2023 winner Taylor Swift.

Vatican returns 62 artefacts connected to indigenous peoples from Canada

The move is part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in helping suppress indigenous culture in the Americas.

Pope Leo visits ship sailing the Mediterranean on peace mission

Young people of different faiths have been sailing the Mediterranean on the Bel Espoir schooner vessel to promote peace and dialogue.

King Charles to be first UK monarch to pray with pope in centuries

The occasion at the Sistine Chapel would mark a historic step towards unity between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

‘I am Jesus, how may I help you?’ AI chatbots offer spiritual guidance

Apps like Text With Jesus let people ostensibly ask questions of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and other religious icons via AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

Pope Leo declares teen computer whiz the first millennial saint

Carlo Acutis, who died at 15 in 2006, was known for using technology to spread his faith.

LGBTQ Catholics celebrate acceptance in Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome

LGBTQ groups attribute the change to Pope Francis, who had insisted the Catholic Church was open to everyone.

Binondo: inside the 400-year-old heart of Filipino-Chinese heritage

For centuries, Manila’s Binondo district has been the centre of a Tsinoy culture that helped build the Philippines into what it is today.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Cardinal’s meeting with Pope a good sign for Sino-Vatican relations

Hong Kong’s Catholic church has traditionally played a role in bridging the Vatican and the mainland, and it should continue to contribute in this way.

Pope Leo XIV pledges commitment to Beijing-Vatican ties: Hong Kong cardinal

Cardinal Stephen Chow reveals details after meeting the new pope for ‘an in-depth exchange on the situation of the church in China’.

Israel voices regret for deadly strike on Gaza church after Trump call

The US president called Netanyahu after having ‘not a positive reaction’ to the news, with the PM blaming a ‘stray’ round for the casualties.

Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church kills 2, cathedral official says

The Israeli Defence Forces said they are reviewing the incident and regret any damage, while Pope Leo said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the attack.

Vatican beatifies Congo customs worker for resisting corruption

Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice across the Rwanda-DR Congo border.

Pope Leo prays for Chinese Catholics to be in communion with Rome

Pope prayed that Catholics in China ‘obtain the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials’.

Vance gives Pope Leo an invitation from Trump to visit White House

The Chicago-born pope accepted the invitation letter and replied: ‘at some point’.

At inaugural mass, Pope Leo warns against exploiting nature, marginalising poor

In a prayer after the mass, Leo noted efforts to end the Ukraine war before holding a private audience with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Opinion | Pope Leo stands as a counterpoint to Trump’s polarising leadership

Despite reservations about his US background, Leo’s ties to the Global South and support for the marginalised have won him global acceptance.

Reflections | Like popes, China’s emperors went by titles that reflected their legacy

How Chinese emperors’ titles, like papal ones, reflected their legacies and why their birth names were considered taboo during their reigns.

J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio to attend Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass

Pope Leo had been critical of Trump and Vance before taking leadership of the global Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo offers to mediate between world leaders to end wars

Ending conflicts has been a dominant theme in Pope Leo’s addresses since he became pope last week.

Pope Leo urges release of reporters held for ‘seeking truth’ at Vatican gathering

During the pope’s first address, President Zelensky invited him to Ukraine, seeking hope amid conflict.

Pope Leo appeals for global peace in first Sunday address

New pope denounces the number of conflicts ravaging the globe, calling it a ‘third world war in pieces’.

Editorial | Cardinal’s meeting with Pope a good sign for Sino-Vatican relations