Visiting the official website of the Holy See one can browse: the Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiffs (from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis); the fundamental texts of Catholicism in various languages (the Sacred Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Code of Canon Law); the documents of ...

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; [b] 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State.

Vatican City, [f] officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; [g] Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), [h] [i] is a landlocked sovereign country, [16] [17] city-state, microstate, and enclave surrounded by, and historically a part of, Rome, Italy. [18] [19] It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and is a distinct territory under "full ...

2 days ago · VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis tripped while entering the Vatican auditorium for an audience Saturday after the handle of his walking stick snapped, but he avoided falling. The 88-year-old pope often has to use a wheelchair or a cane because of bad knees and has fallen twice in the past two months.

2 days ago · The Pope focused in particular on John’s account of the Magdalene’s meeting with the Risen Christ, drawing attention to the repeated mention of Mary "turning around". Initially, she is focused on the empty tomb, lost in grief, unable to recognize Jesus standing before her.

6 days ago · Follow Vatican News for updates and information on the daily activities of Pope Francis.

From the eighth century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City state. [4][5] From a Catholic viewpoint, the primacy of the bishop of Rome is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom primacy was conferred by Jesus, who gav...

4 days ago · The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York is involved in these efforts, and the Vatican consistently emphasizes the importance of a peaceful and negotiated resolution in its diplomatic contacts with states. Q: Two years ago, the Pope met with victims of violence in the east during his apostolic visit.

2 days ago · In 1929 Vatican City’s independent sovereignty was recognized by the Fascist Italian government in the Lateran Treaty. Sovereignty is exercised by the pope upon his election as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He has absolute executive, legislative, and …

6 days ago · VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican document released Tuesday offers wide-ranging ethical guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence in sectors from warfare to health care, with an underlying call that the burgeoning technology must be used as a tool to complement, and not replace, human intelligence.. Pope Francis has issued several warnings about the risks associated with AI ...