Holy See

Pope Francis received a face wound on Sunday after a sudden stop to his papamobile in the midst of crowds of people in the Colombian town of Cartagena. In the incident, he hit one of the windows, world agencies said.

Secular campaigners are organising a protest in Zagreb on Saturday, demanding abolition of Croatia's concordats with the Holy See, claiming they incur massive financial obligations and breach secular principles.

The Movement for Secular Croatia - an informal network of atheist, agnostic and secular NGOs and individuals, have called the protest 'Termination 4".

Pope Francis has named 17 new cardinals - 13 of them under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor. Three of the new cardinals are Americans, including moderate Chicago Archbishop Blaise Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin.

Pope Francis urged the world in his Easter message on March 27 to use the "weapons of love" to combat the evil of "blind and brutal violence," following the attacks in Brussels. 

After a week of somber religious events commemorating Jesus' death, Francis said an Easter Sunday Mass under tight security for tens of thousands of people in a sun-drenched St. Peter's Square. 

Roman Catholic Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Luciano Suriani, delegate for papal diplomatic representations, as apostolic nuncio in Serbia.

The Holy See press office announced this on Monday, according to Tanjug.

Two members of a commission Pope Francis set up to study reforms, including a high-ranking Holy See official, have been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents, the Vatican said on Nov. 2.

Pope Francis exhorted Cuba and the United States on Sept.19 to set an example for the world by deepening the recent rapprochement that he helped secretly broker between the former Cold War foes. 

Pope Francis encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in "sincere" international efforts aimed at bringing peace to Ukraine as the two men met privately at the Vatican on June 10.

On a two-day visit to the Vatican, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic met Pope Francis on Thursday and asked him to visit her mainly Catholic country.

By Costas Iordanidis