Pope Francis

Russian Patriarch Kirill and the head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis will meet next week in Cuba. This will be their first, historic meeting.

It will be an unprecedented event and a huge step towards repairing relations between the two churches after almost a thousand years.

Pope Francis on Jan. 26 urged Iran to back peace efforts in the Middle East as the Islamic Republic's emergence from international isolation took a significant step forward with President Hassan Rouhani's first visit to the Vatican.

Pope Francis on Jan. 17 welcomed 5,000 migrant worshippers at a special mass at St Peter's to mark the world day of migrants and refugees, urging them to treasure their "culture and precious values".

the French AFP agency has included Russian President Vladimir Putin on its list of most influential persons in 2015, Sputnik reported.

The list is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and followed by Putin, and Pope Francis.

Pope Francis has been named the winner of the International Charlemagne Prize, awarded annually by the German city of Aachen for contributions to European unity.

The prize committee said Dec. 23 that the pontiff had sent "a message of hope and encouragement" at a time in which "many citizens in Europe are seeking orientation," news agency Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) reported.

Pope Francis on Dec. 8 launched an extraordinary Catholic Jubilee year by opening a "Holy Door" in the walls of St Peter's, embracing a 700-year-old tradition while urging the Church to reach out and embrace the modern world with mercy.

Protected by the heaviest security ever seen on his trips, Pope Francis on Nov. 29 preached reconciliation in the divided Central African Republic, a nation racked by bloodshed between Muslims and Christians. 

Pope Frances gave a sermon that was filled with frustration. He said: “Christmas is approaching: there will be lights, parties, Christmas trees and nativity scenes… it’s all a charade. The world continues to go to war. The world has not chosen a peaceful path.”

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.

Tomislav Nikolic states that Pope Francis told him he did not want canonization of Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac to cause disagreements betweenChristians.

Nikolic told the Wednesday edition of Belgrade-based daily Blic that during his meeting with Pope Francis last month he presented his view of the role of Stepinac and the Catholic clergy in the Independent State of Croatia.