Pope Francis celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday with visits to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the Spanish Steps, and a cherished painting.

The number of cardinal electors is the most critical data point to emerge from this weekend’s consistory. Of the 140 cardinal electors, 110 have been created by Pope Francis, 24 by Benedict XVI, and six by St. John Paul II.

Pope Francis this week encouraged participants of the second International Congress of Confraternities and Brotherhoods to bring Christ “out into the streets so that he may enter into all hearts.”

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples, Italy said he sees the appointment not as a personal honor but as “a call to dream together of a Church that gets its hands dirty."

The 21 new cardinals to be created by Pope Francis at the Dec. 7 consistory reflect the pontiff’s vision for a missionary Church that reaches out to the world’s peripheries.

Pope Francis during his general audience at St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday said all evangelizing activity depends on the Holy Spirit and not on “pastoral initiatives promoted by us.”

Pope Francis was handed the key to a new Mercedes-Benz “popemobile” on Wednesday by the CEO of the German luxury car brand.

Pope Francis received the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Catholics exiled from Nicaragua are expressing their gratitude for the recent letter of encouragement Pope Francis sent to the persecuted Church in the Central American country. 

For the Jubilee, on the evening Dec. 2, the rite of “recognitio” (Latin for “verification”) took place in St. Peter’s Basilica.

COMMENTARY: Cardinal Ayuso was not a well-known figure, even in Rome. But he was at the center of an important story for nearly 20 years.

Pope Francis has written to Nicaraguan Catholics, offering prayers and invoking the Virgin’s consolation amid persecution under President Ortega and Vice President Murillo.

The Vatican has suppressed the Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, following a long-running controversy that began with a diocesan investigation into allegations that the prioress had broken her vow of chastity.

Five Italians to become Catholic Cardinals at the Dec. 7 consistory, four with the right to vote for the new pope at the next conclave.

At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis welcomed the recent Lebanon-Israel ceasefire while urging the faithful to “stand erect and raise your heads” amid global turmoil.

Pope Francis has proposed celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea together with Orthodox leaders in a personal letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

The Vatican’s chief prosecutor confirmed at a public event on Wednesday that despite prior denials, the Vatican does possess a confidential file on the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi — the so-called “Vatican girl” who went missing over 40 years ago.

Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, Chiara Porro says she has seen a rise in the participation and promotion of women’s leadership in the Catholic Church under Pope Francis. 

Pope Francis told a group of theologians on Thursday he plans to visit Turkey for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025.

Starting next week, Chinese will be added as the ninth official language at papal general audiences, Pope Francis announced Wednesday.

Pope Francis called on Italian children to pray for their Ukrainian peers facing a harsh winter amid ongoing war at his general audience on Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning at the Vatican.

The Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education is sponsoring a four-day event in Rome to honor the spiritual and intellectual legacy of Pope Saint John Paul II while marking the 25th anniversary of his encyclical Fides et Ratio.

Entrepreneurs, researchers, and civil society leaders spoke at the Vatican’s Pontifical Lateran University this week about their big ideas for ethical innovation.