ROME -- Pope Leo XIV celebrated on Wednesday what has been dubbed the first “green” papal Mass, using a new set of prayers ...

Pope Leo XIV is signalling his commitment to continuing the fight against clergy sexual abuse. He has appointed a French ...

BARCELONA, Spain — Europe’s continuing heat wave on Wednesday helped fuel a deadly wildfire in Spain while the European Union ...

A total of 6,500 hectares or 16,000 acres was burned before firefighters established a perimeter and declared the blaze under ...

Big picture view: Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and leads up to Easter on April 20. A cardinal has been designated to take Francis’ place at Vatican celebrations.

While Pope Francis remained hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Italian Cardinal Angelo De Donatis celebrated the Ash Wednesday Mass in his place at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, March 5 in Rome.

On Tuesday, the Vatican said the retreat would go ahead without Francis but in ‘spiritual communion’ with him. The theme, selected before Francis got sick, was ‘Hope in eternal life’.

What Happens Next Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter on April 20. A cardinal has been appointed to represent Pope Francis at Vatican celebrations during this period.