Pope Francis took everybody by surprise at the end of the solemn Orthodox prayer service in the church of St George in the Fanar Istanbul nbsp on the evening of November 29 by asking the ecumenical patriarch of the 300 million member Orthodox Church nbsp Bartholomew I ldquo to pray for me an

Pope Francis prayed for some moments in the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul on the second day of his visit to Turkey nbsp He did so standing nbsp alongside the Grand Mufti of this city nbsp head bowed eyes closed ldquo It was a moment of silent adoration rdquo the Vatican spokesman Fr Fed

On his first day in Turkey Pope Francis emphasized the urgent need to bring an end to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and in particular in Syria and Iraq and called for ldquo the solidarity of all believers rdquo to counteract ldquo fanaticism and fundamentalism as well as irrational

Pope Francis rsquo three-day visit to Turkey November 28-30 was intended primarily as an ecumenical visit to the center of the Orthodox world with an important Muslim-Christian dimension nbsp It has taken on considerable political significance however because of the dramatic situation in the

Pope Francis' call has clearly disturbed some cardinals and a number bishops.

Pope Francis sought to inject new life into the old continent by delivering ldquo a message of hope and encouragement to all the citizens of Europe rdquo when he spoke to the European Parliament and to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg France on November 25 nbsp Speaking ldquo as a pastor

Three Catholic priests and a layman have been arrested by the police in Granada Spain charged with the sexual abuse of minors the Spanish Ministry of the Interior confirmed on November 24 The arrests came after the Spanish media last week revealed that Pope Francis had intervened directly in the

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah 69 from Guinea West Africa as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments nbsp The Vatican made the announcement on November 24 nbsp nbsp He succeeds Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera who led this congr

The United States and Europe should engage in ldquo strong mediation rdquo to bring an end to the violence that is spreading in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Bishop William Shomali the Palestinian-born auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem told me in an interview November 20 n

Jesuit priest and Israeli citizen on the roots of violence in the Holy Land.