Pope Francis, 84, underwent a pre-planned surgery for a restriction of the sigmoid portion of the large intestine at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome this Sunday afternoon.

Here's a look at what we know about the operation and what the pope's doctors will be watching out for.

The Jesuit priest and human rights activist Stan Swamy died of complications from Covid-19, reports Ricardo da Silva, S.J. An Indian court has approved a judicial inquiry into Father Swamy’s arrest, custody and death.

Our democracy demands that we refrain from using party politics as a stand-in for unshakable creeds. Rather, we must practice and honor dissent.

Pope Francis sent to Rome hospital for stenosis surgery. The brief announcement did not say when the surgery would be performed but it said there would be announcement when the surgery is complete.

A trial of this nature and dimension has no precedent in the history of the Vatican in the modern era.

The day before Easter this year, a group of transgender people came to the Vatican at the invitation of Pope Francis to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to an official who oversees the pope’s charitable works.

With his debut novel, Phil Klay lays out our country's new way of waging war, without clear beginnings, middles or ends and without clear moral goods and evils.

The show’s most important feature is that it portrays the characters as human—especially Jesus.

A month before this Independence Day, a group of 100 scholars warned about “the recent deterioration of U.S. democracy.” America has been covering this topic from all angles; here are highlights from our archives.