Just after Pope Francis and two children released two doves into the air above St. Peter's Square in Rome on Monday, a seagull and a crow swooped in and attacked the smaller birds.
Pope John Paul II, who headed the Catholic Church from 1978 through his death in 2005, will soon officially become a saint.
The sainthood was expected for the widely beloved pope, for whom thousands of Catholics chanted "Santo subito" ("Sainthood now”) in St...
Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been elected as pope. He is the first Latin American to lead the Catholic Church. Bergoglio, who has taken the name Francis I, is also the first Jesuit priest to become pope.
In stunning news, Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday morning from the Vatican that he will resign his position as head of the Catholic Church, effective on February 28. This has already set off a flurry of speculation, largely because no pope has voluntarily done so since the year 1415.
The news is still coming in, but here's what we know so far:
No one can accuse Pope Benedict XVI of being old-fashioned, even if his beliefs on doctrine are strictly traditionalist. The Pontiff proved he holds his traditional views in a very modern social landscape by praising the usefulness of social media communication.