Francis

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, part of a whirlwind tour of European capitals aimed at drumming up support from allies ahead of a tough winter.

Pope Francis said on Sept. 27 that the Catholic Church must "seek forgiveness" over the "scourge" of child sexual abuse, during a visit to Belgium where the Church's dark past looms large.

In a speech before political and civil society leaders that opened his three-day visit to the country, Francis denounced the "tragic instances of child abuse" as a stain on the Church's legacy.

Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a comprehensive 12-day tour of Asia that includes visits to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore. The 87-year-old pontiff landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, after a flight exceeding 13 hours.

The burial of Prince Michael, the last grandson of King George I, who was also known as Michel de Grèce, took place in Tatoi.

Pope Francis has said he wanted to visit Turkey next year to celebrate the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church.

"It's a trip that I desire to go on, with all my heart," the pontiff told a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Istanbul, a Vatican statement said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived at the G7 summit held in Italy's Puglia region, joining global leaders as a special guest to discuss pressing international issues.

During the three-day summit, which began on June 13, Erdoğan will emphasize Türkiye's role in diplomatic and humanitarian aid efforts, focusing on the Gaza war.

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev and a delegation accompanying him were granted an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. During the meeting, President Radev presented Pope Francis with an original icon of Saints Cyril and Methodius, crafted by artists from the Sofia Icon Painting School in the latter half of the 19th century.

Ukraine on Sunday angrily rejected Pope Francis's call to negotiate with Russia two years into its invasion, vowing "never" to surrender after the pontiff said Kiev should "have the courage to raise the white flag".

A Vatican court convicted two environmental activists of aggravated damage on June 10 and ordered them to pay more than 28,000 euros in restitution after they glued their hands to the base of an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums in a protest to draw attention to climate change.

"Bulgaria believes that the Republic of North Macedonia will be a full member of the European Union based on its own contribution. We believe that they will fulfill the conditions of membership and should not waste time, because the worst thing is to waste time that will turn into skepticism.