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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

last updated:

7 October, 2024

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, attend the pope’s departure ceremony at Ajaccio airport on the French island of Corsica on Sunday. Photo: Pool via Reuters

France

Pope Francis, in Corsica, warns against religion that stokes divisions

Pope Francis’ trip to Corsica marks the first papal visit to the French island, the pontiff later met French President Macron.

16 Dec 2024 - 3:23AM

Fashion

He dresses popes, priests, new cardinals and has seen their tastes change

9 Dec 2024 - 6:36PM

Israel-Gaza war

Pope Francis calls for genocide investigation into Israel’s attacks in Gaza

17 Nov 2024 - 8:16PM

Fame and celebrity

Meet Maria Cahill, wife of Wizards of Waverly Place star David Henrie

Cahill was an avid dancer growing up and went on to win beauty pageants; she suffered 8 miscarriages but had her first child 9 months after receiving a blessing from the Pope – now she’s a mum of 3.

1 Nov 2024 - 5:00AM

Meet Maria Cahill: David Henrie’s wife is close with Selena Gomez, his Wizards of Waverly Place co-star, and was a pageant queen – she had her first child after a blessing from Pope Francis. Photos: @maria.cahill, @davidhenrie/Instagram

Ukraine war

Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on Europe trip

Zelensky seeks military, financial boost on trip to UK, France, Italy and Germany amid fears of dwindling support if Trump wins US election.

11 Oct 2024 - 1:55AMvideocam

Religion

Pope creates 21 new cardinals from around the world including Tokyo’s archbishop

Isao Kikuchi will become the seventh Japanese to be appointed a cardinal; Indonesia, the Philippines and India are also represented.

7 Oct 2024 - 7:53AM

Catholic Church

Belgium PM blasts Pope Francis for Catholic Church sex abuse cover-up

The king also had strong words for the pope, demanding the church work ‘incessantly’ to atone for crimes and help victims heal after decades of revelations.

27 Sep 2024 - 6:41PM

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo criticised the pope and the Catholic Church on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Italy

‘We must do something’: Pope offers Vatican refuge to Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former leader, has been detained by the military since it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup.

24 Sep 2024 - 5:52PMvideocam

Singapore

Pope Francis’ Singapore visit: a catalyst for deeper interfaith conversations?

The pope’s emphasis on unity extended to marginalised communities – including migrant workers – sparking dialogue on inclusiveness.

17 Sep 2024 - 9:01AMvideocam

China-Vatican relations

Pope calls Beijing ‘a promise and hope’ for church in new overture to China

Francis says China has ‘a capacity for dialogue and understanding that goes beyond other systems of democracy’ and says he wants to visit.

14 Sep 2024 - 4:15AMvideocam

Pope Francis speaks during a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

US presidential election 2024

Pope slams both Harris and Trump, tells US Catholics to choose ‘lesser evil’

The pontiff says not welcoming immigrations is a ‘grave’ sin and likened having an abortion to an ‘assassination’.

14 Sep 2024 - 3:56AM

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Singapore

‘We are humbled’: Pope Francis unites 50,000 at historic mass in Singapore

During his visit, the pope highlighted the plight of migrant workers, saying they contribute a lot to society and should be paid a fair wage.

12 Sep 2024 - 8:53PMvideocam

Royalty

Meet Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, punk rock icon turned religious advocate

The princess has made headlines for a US$900 ‘gift’ to US Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr and his wife, Martha-Ann, which just showed up on his 2023 financial disclosure.

12 Sep 2024 - 2:38PM

Singapore

Pope Francis lands in Singapore for final stop on 12-day Asia-Pacific tour

He has defied doubts about his health during a journey that has taken him from a Jakarta grand mosque to a remote jungle of Papua New Guinea.

11 Sep 2024 - 8:29PMvideocam

People line the road to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Catholic Church

‘I am so happy’: Pope’s East Timor mass draws 600,000, nearly half the nation

Pope Francis’ visit to East Timor drew a record-breaking crowd, highlighting the significance of the pontiff’s visit for the nation’s history and future.

10 Sep 2024 - 4:58PMvideocam

Catholic faithful attend a mass led by Pope Francis in East Timor, on September 10, 2024. Photo: AP

Papua New Guinea

Pope Francis tours one of the world's most remote areas

9 Sep 2024 - 5:31PM

Singapore

Filipinos in Singapore rejoice over once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the pope

The last papal visit was in 1986 when Pope John Paul II stopped by the city state for five hours.

9 Sep 2024 - 2:31PM

Pacific nations

Pope calls for PNG to ‘end’ tribal violence, urges fair share of its resources

In a keynote speech, the pope called for an end to tribal violence while insisting the people benefit from the country’s resource boom.

9 Sep 2024 - 4:57PMvideocam

Pope Francis gives a speech in front of diplomats and dignitaries including the Governor General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae. Photo: EPA-EFE

Indonesia

Over 80,000 attend Pope’s mass in Indonesia

6 Sep 2024 - 4:13PM

Indonesia

Pope praises Indonesians for choosing children over pets

5 Sep 2024 - 3:27PM

Asia

Indonesian Catholics in tears as pope visits Jakarta

5 Sep 2024 - 11:44AM

04:04

Indonesia

Pope Francis calls for unity in Indonesia amid rising religious intolerance

The pontiff’s calls for interfaith dialogue come amid rising majoritarianism and recent incidents of violence against religious minorities.

5 Sep 2024 - 3:29PMvideocam

Indonesia

Pope to visit Indonesia’s ‘Tunnel of Friendship’ in historic Asia-Pacific trip

The pope will visit the Istiqlal mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, and the ‘Tunnel of Friendship’ connecting it to the Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral, built in 2020 as a symbol of religious unity.

5 Sep 2024 - 11:49AMvideocam

UAE

Pope heads to Southeast Asia in ambitious trip

Pope Francis’ visit aims to cement the Catholic Church’s position in the region and comes despite his growing health problems.

31 Aug 2024 - 12:43PMvideocam

Venezuela

Voices across globe express concern over increasing Venezuela arrests after election

President Nicolas Maduro’s government has arrested 2,000 Venezuelans in the fiercest crackdown of his rule.

5 Aug 2024 - 12:20PMvideocam

Members of the Bolivarian National police riot squad arresting a man in Caracas, Venezuela last Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Icons and Influencers

Who was Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint-to-be?

Known as ‘God’s influencer’ before his tragic death from leukaemia at just 15, Acutis will be canonised as a saint in 2025

8 Jul 2024 - 6:30PM

Carlo Acutis spread the teachings of the Catholic Church by sharing his passion and faith. Photo: Little Flower Parish

Italy

Pope Francis deplores state of democracy, warns against ‘populists’

Pontiff warns against ‘ideological temptations and populists’, urges people to move away from ‘polarisations that impoverish’.

7 Jul 2024 - 5:35PM

Pope urges ban on lethal AI weapons in historic G7 speech

No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human, the pontiff said, after a series of meetings with world leaders.

15 Jun 2024 - 1:24AMvideocam

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