Christopher White

Pope Francis has tapped San Diego Auxiliary Bishop John Dolan to replace retiring Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, representing a significant ideological shift in the pastoral leadership of one of the country's largest Catholic dioceses. 

Pope Francis has been forced to postpone his anticipated trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in July due to ongoing knee pain, which has caused him to use a wheelchair in recent months.

Pope Francis on June 2 appointed Bishop Robert Barron to lead the Diocese of Winona–Rochester in Minnesota.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian described his May 18 meeting with Pope Francis as a career highlight and one in which he wanted to personally thank the pope for being a messenger of mercy for a world in need of it.

Pope Francis on May 29 named 16 new cardinal electors, including Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, California, along with three Vatican officials and a number of bishops from the global south.

A Vatican letter praises Sr. Carol Keehan's commitment to expanding access to health care. The letter highlights her role "carrying out the apostolate of charity" and supporting " 'the fragility of others as we strive to build a common future.' "

Pope Francis on May 25 said his heart was "broken" after at least 19 schoolchildren and 2 adults were killed in Texas in America’s latest school shooting and called for an end to the trafficking of firearms.

A recent conference on Pope Francis' 2016 Amoris Laetitia illustrated the stark contrast between countries with episcopal conferences more inclined to support Francis and those skeptical of his reforms.

"I know that the rest of the world, when they hope for one person to solve this problem, they look at the pope," Joseph Donnelly told NCR May 16, in his first interview with a U.S. news agency since his arrival in Rome.

Emilce Cuda's ascendancy in the Vatican underscores the structural changes that Pope Francis seeks. Those who know Cuda say that Francis is looking to her to help him hardwire Catholic social thought in the Vatican and beyond.

Pope Francis will make a much anticipated visit to Canada from July 24-30.

The international Community of Sant'Egidio, a lay-led Catholic social service organization based in Rome, paved the way for Pope Francis to meet with leaders in South Sudan, the world's youngest country, in July.

Pope Francis in a new interview on LGBT Catholics said God "does not disown any of his children" and that a church that is "selective" about its membership more resembles a "sect" than what the Gospel commands. 

Pope Francis said he has asked for a meeting in Moscow to help bring about an end to the war and warned that Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a key backer of President Vladimir Putin's fight against Ukraine, should not become Putin's "altar boy." 

Pope Francis has named Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Lille as the new head of the Paris Archdiocese.

Since February, the pope, who has long suffered from sciatica, has repeatedly had difficulty walking, resulting in a number of modifications to his public schedule. He canceled a Feb. 27 day trip to Florence and plans to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass.

Pope Francis, who in recent months has been sidelined by severe knee pain, canceled his appointments on Friday, April 22 for a medical check-up.

NCR Connections: The shadow of the war against Ukraine loomed large over the Vatican's Holy Week festivities, while Pope Francis had his own Via Crucis, as the 85-year-old's health was the subject of much concern.

A Ukrainian Marine in the besieged city of Mariupol has written to Pope Francis pleading for the pontiff to personally intervene on the city's behalf, as Russian forces continue their devastating, weeks-long siege on the strategic port on the Sea of Azov.

Pope Francis used his Easter message to again appeal for peace in Ukraine, saying the country has been "dragged" into a "cruel and senseless war" and that if the conflict escalates, it could lead to the destruction of all of humanity.