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Holy See

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Holy See. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Vatican City

Head of State

Pope Francis

Head of Government

President of the Governorate Fernando Vérgez Alzaga

Pope Leo addresses journalists during a flight to Algiers on Monday. Photo: via Reuters

Donald Trump

‘Someone must stand for a better way’: Pope speaks out after Trump’s attack

After the US president shatters norms with a direct hit on the pontiff, Leo says he will continue to speak out ‘loudly’ and promote peace.

14 Apr 2026 - 2:51AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Pope Leo slams ‘delusion of omnipotence’ stoking US-Israeli war on Iran

12 Apr 2026 - 11:25AMvideocam

Religion

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

5 Apr 2026 - 7:35PM

Italy

Pope Leo carries cross for full Good Friday procession

‘I carry all of this suffering in my prayer,’ the pontiff said before he set out for the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross.

4 Apr 2026 - 1:24PM

Pope Leo holds a wooden cross as he leads the Via Crucis procession at the Coliseum in Rome on Good Friday. Photo: dpa

Pope Leo XIV

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

Monaco is one of the few places in Europe where Catholicism remains the state religion.

28 Mar 2026 - 6:50PM

Britain

Nurse to archbishop: Mullally enthroned as first woman to lead Church of England

The new Archbishop of Canterbury begins her ministry with a historic ceremony attended by British royals.

26 Mar 2026 - 11:16AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Over 800,000 Lebanese – 1 in 7 people – displaced by war in 10 days

It is little more than a year since the last conflict uprooted over a million Lebanese from their homes, although that process took months.

15 Mar 2026 - 10:05PMvideocam

A displaced Lebanese family sit in the back of a truck, their current home, in the southern city of Sidon on Sunday. Photo: AFP

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

Britain

‘Big statement’: Sarah Mullally confirmed as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

The worldwide Anglican Communion, including the US Episcopal Church, has no formal head, but the archbishop is its spiritual leader.

28 Jan 2026 - 8:42PM

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

Britain’s King Charles during the recording of his Christmas message. Photo: PA via AP

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

A Palestinian man lifts a baby next to the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza on Christmas Eve. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

1 Dec 2025 - 1:09AM

Turkey

Pope warns ‘piecemeal’ third world war ‘threatening’ humanity

In Ankara, Pope Leo urged for global peace amid rising conflicts and geopolitical tensions during his first trip outside Italy.

27 Nov 2025 - 10:25PM

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

Pope Francis meets First Nations, Metis and Inuit indigenous communities in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, on July 25, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Italy

King Charles, Pope Leo pray together in 500-year first

It is the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.

23 Oct 2025 - 7:30PM

Britain’s King Charles meets Pope Leo in the Vatican City on Thursday. Photo: Vatican Media via PA Media/dpa

Pope Leo XIV

Nuns, teen influencer and ex-Satanic priest among 7 new saints

Pope Leo XIV created the new saints, including the first from Papua New Guinea and an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide.

19 Oct 2025 - 9:57PM

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

Venezuela

Trump calls off talks with Venezuela as US considers cartel targets on land

Relations between Venezuela and the United States have further deteriorated in recent weeks amid US accusations of drug trafficking.

8 Oct 2025 - 2:28PM

Britain

Church of England names first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Sarah Mullally, 63, is the Bishop of London and will face serious challenges including the treatment of women and LGBTQ people.

3 Oct 2025 - 6:24PM

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

A person holds a picture depicting Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be made a Catholic saint. Photo: Reuters

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

Members of the LGBTQ community attend a vigil prayer in the Church of the Gesu in central Rome on Friday. Photo: AP

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

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

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

Cardinal Stephen Chow met Pope Leo XIV on September 2 at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Photo: Handout

Ukraine war

Trump tells Zelensky Crimea, Nato off the table if he wants to end war

The Ukrainian president is returning to Washington for the first time since a spectacularly tense exchange with Trump in February.

18 Aug 2025 - 11:07AMvideocam

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump. Photo: EPA

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo preaches friendship to nearly 1 million at Holy Year youth festival

32 million young Catholics from around the world are expected to take part in the pilgrimage to Italy’s capital for the jubilee celebration.

3 Aug 2025 - 4:29PM

Pope Leo XIV

Pope visits observatory, calls Buzz Aldrin to mark 1969 US moon landing

The American pontiff spoke with the famed Apollo 11 astronaut, reflecting on human ingenuity and the ‘mystery and greatness of Creation’.

21 Jul 2025 - 3:18PM

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Holy See

‘Someone must stand for a better way’: Pope speaks out after Trump’s attack

After the US president shatters norms with a direct hit on the pontiff, Leo says he will continue to speak out ‘loudly’ and promote peace.

Pope Leo slams ‘delusion of omnipotence’ stoking US-Israeli war on Iran

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

Pope Leo carries cross for full Good Friday procession

‘I carry all of this suffering in my prayer,’ the pontiff said before he set out for the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross.

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

Monaco is one of the few places in Europe where Catholicism remains the state religion.

Nurse to archbishop: Mullally enthroned as first woman to lead Church of England

The new Archbishop of Canterbury begins her ministry with a historic ceremony attended by British royals.

Over 800,000 Lebanese – 1 in 7 people – displaced by war in 10 days

It is little more than a year since the last conflict uprooted over a million Lebanese from their homes, although that process took months.

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.

‘Big statement’: Sarah Mullally confirmed as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

The worldwide Anglican Communion, including the US Episcopal Church, has no formal head, but the archbishop is its spiritual leader.

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’.

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

Pope warns ‘piecemeal’ third world war ‘threatening’ humanity

In Ankara, Pope Leo urged for global peace amid rising conflicts and geopolitical tensions during his first trip outside Italy.

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.

King Charles, Pope Leo pray together in 500-year first

It is the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.

Nuns, teen influencer and ex-Satanic priest among 7 new saints

Pope Leo XIV created the new saints, including the first from Papua New Guinea and an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide.

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.

Trump calls off talks with Venezuela as US considers cartel targets on land

Relations between Venezuela and the United States have further deteriorated in recent weeks amid US accusations of drug trafficking.

Church of England names first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Sarah Mullally, 63, is the Bishop of London and will face serious challenges including the treatment of women and LGBTQ people.

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’.

Trump tells Zelensky Crimea, Nato off the table if he wants to end war

The Ukrainian president is returning to Washington for the first time since a spectacularly tense exchange with Trump in February.

Pope Leo preaches friendship to nearly 1 million at Holy Year youth festival

32 million young Catholics from around the world are expected to take part in the pilgrimage to Italy’s capital for the jubilee celebration.

Pope visits observatory, calls Buzz Aldrin to mark 1969 US moon landing

The American pontiff spoke with the famed Apollo 11 astronaut, reflecting on human ingenuity and the ‘mystery and greatness of Creation’.

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