More than 3,000 Italians participated in the survey carried out in January, expressing their opinion on the challenges facing the Church and their assessment of the pope.

Doctor of the Church relied on divine grace and the maternal care of the Virgin Mary to temper that vice and become a man of virtue.

Constantly in the public eye, Pope Francis is instantly recognisable across the globe, and his likeness adorns t-shirts, mugs, calendars, bookmarks, medals and jewellery, among other things. Too conservative for some, not conservative enough for others, he is the face of the modern Catholic Church.

One of Francis’ lasting reforms will be his reshaping of the papacy to embrace simplicity and humility. In his new autobiography, “Hope,” he shows remarkable openness about his own failings.

"Each time a pope takes ill, the winds of a conclave always feel as if they are blowing," Francis writes in his new memoir, referring to centuries-old tradition of cardinals gathering in the pope's official residence, the Sistine Chapel, after a pontiff's death to elect the next.

Pope Francis is not expected to veto President Donald Trump's choice of a high-profile critic of his papacy as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, according to two senior Vatican officials, despite misgivings about his stance on many issues.

The plan was to publish the pope's memoirs after his death, writes co-author Carlo Musso. But Francis decided to release the book sooner to coincide with the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year, which began on Christmas Eve. In Hope, Francis reiterates many of ...

Cardinal Koovakad, who was in the diplomatic service of the Holy See for 14 years, is part of the Syro-Malabar Church, one of the Catholic faith’s Eastern-rite Churches.

In this area’s matrilineal culture, women have taken on new responsibilities in Catholic churches in the region, acting as catechists, leading parish councils and shaping pastoral life as spiritual counselors.

Francis is also in a unique position, in that he follows two popes who had a more conservative view of what Vatican II represented. In Catholic theological terms, St. Pope John Paul II and Benedict came from the Communio school, which very much put the Council in a more direct relationship with the Church before the Council.

Pope Francis urged communicators to use their platforms to inspire hope by avoiding aggressive language and rejecting rhetoric that dehumanizes others.