Pope Francis

Pope Francis visited a refugee centre and washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic refugees, as a gesture of welcome at a time when anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment has risen, especially after the deadly attackes in Brussels and Paris.

A bust representing the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has been installed in the center of Tirana, Albania.

Albanian agency ATA is reporting that the unveiling ceremony was attended by state and religious dignitaries and citizens.

Pope Francis on March 15 approved sainthood for Mother Teresa, the missionary nun who became a global if controversial symbol of compassion for her care of the sick and destitute.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for a united response to help flows of people into Europe fleeing war and urged European countries struggling with the migrant crisis to “share the burden fairly”.

Donald Trump has called Pope Francis “disgraceful” after the Republican presidential candidate was described as being “not Christian” by Pope Francis.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Pope Francis said when asked about Trump’s views. “This is not in the gospel.”

Pope Francis has questioned Donald Trump's Christian faith over his vow to build a border wall to keep out immigrants, sparking a backlash from the Republican presidential candidate.

"Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian," the pontiff told journalists Feb. 17 during his return journey from a trip to Mexico.

Pope Francis admonished Mexico's political and religious leaders to take on drug violence on Feb. 13, calling for "true justice" and "prophetic courage" against the scourge afflicting the country.

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriach Kirill called for restoring Christian unity and preserving the traditions of Christianity in a historic meeting held in Cuba on Friday.

This was the first meeting between a pope and the head of the Russian church since the Great Schism of 1054, which resulted in the split of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.

Pope Francis headed to Cuba on Feb. 12 looking to heal a 1,000-year-old rift in Christianity before embarking on a tour of Mexico dominated by modern day problems of drug-related violence and migration.

Turkish researchers have been invited by Vatican librarian Jean-Louis Brugues to the Vatican Library, which hosts one of the world's most significant manuscript collectionsFrench archbishop and Vatican librarian Jean-Louis Brugues was in Istanbul on Feb.