#popefrancis

Pope Francis presided over a special evening Mass to commemorate the opening of Vatican II, which brought the 2,000-year-old church into the modern era by allowing for Masses in the vernacular rather than Latin and a greater emphasis on the role of ordinary faithful in the life of the church.

Pope Francis signed a document on Saturday (Sept. 24) that lays out ideas for a new economy inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, the pope's namesake known for his dedication to the poor, the environment and peace.

Pope Francis’ economic vision meets graffiti art in a new show by Roman artist Mauro Pallotta, or Maupal, who hopes his work will inspire the thousands of young adults gathering in Assisi this week as they imagine a new kind of global economy.

Pope Francis has met with a fourth group of transgender people who found shelter at a Rome church, the Vatican newspaper reported Thursday. L’Osservatore Romano said the encounter took place Wednesday on the sidelines of Francis’ weekly general audience.

On the last day of his apostolic visit to Canada, Pope Francis spoke to a group of Jesuit priests and emphasized the importance of unity among bishops and in the entire church, even as divisions over liturgy and doctrine continued to plague his papacy.

Pope Francis has promoted a Vatican nurse whom he credited with saving his life to be his “personal health care assistant.” The Vatican announced the appointment of Massimiliano Strappetti in a one-line statement issued Thursday.

Pope Francis said he plans to appoint two women to the traditionally male dominated, clergy heavy Vatican committee for selecting bishops, in a July 2 interview with Reuters.

In defiance of some U.S. bishops, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, reportedly received communion during a mass presided over by Pope Francis on Wednesday (June 29) for the celebration of the feast of St. Peter and Paul.