Pope

Voices from the Arab press: Pope Leo and the Shi'ites

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai receives a chalice from Pope Leo XIV (R) at a Holy Mass during the pope’s first apostolic journey, in Beirut, on December 2.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd during a meeting with bishpops, priests consacrated persons and personal workers at the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, northeast of the capital Beirut, on December 1, 2025.

'A just and lasting peace': Pope Leo calls for dialogue after meeting Ukraine's Zelensky

 Pope Leo XIV holds a Jubilee audience on the occasion of the Jubilee of Sport, at St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican June 14, 2025.

Pope Leo scraps Francis’s Vatican fundraising panel amid budget shift

Pope Leo XIV disembarks the papal plane upon arrival at Rafic Hariri International Airport, during his first apostolic journey, in Beirut, Lebanon, November 30, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV lands in Beirut during first Middle East visit


Will Catholic cardinals pick another outsider like Francis to be pope?

There is internal division within the Catholic church on who will lead the Vatican.

 Worshippers take part in Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City April 23, 2025.

Cardinals begin process to elect a new pope after pope francis's passing

The task facing the cardinals today is to elect a new pope to succeed Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.

  begin process to elect a new pope after pope francis's passing. Illustration.

Grapevine: Remembrance

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 Visitors seen at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem on May 2, 2024, ahead of Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day.

WATCH: Royalty and presidents joining multitude of mourners at Pope Francis' funeral

Among those attending from more than 150 countries will be US President Donald Trump, who clashed with Francis on numerous occasions over their starkly contrasting positions on immigration.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun walks, ahead of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025.

Pope Francis died quickly and without suffering, his doctor says

Dr. Sergio Alfieri said that as soon as he realized the Pope was in a coma, there was nothing he could do to save his life.

 Pope Francis arrives to attend his weekly general audience in the St. Damaso courtyard. September, 2020.

Will the next pope speak Hebrew? A Jewish guide to the cardinals who could succeed Francis

In the wake of Pope Francis’ death on Monday, Catholic cardinals from across the world will gather for a conclave in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope. 

 Candles placed by people sit at a memorial for late Pope Francis after an interreligious homage to him, following the death of the pontiff, at the Metropolitan Cathedral at Zocalo Square in Mexico City, Mexico April 23, 2025

'Revolutionary at the Vatican': A portrait of Pope Francis

Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, was an "alien presence" at the Vatican, bringing about a revolution of modesty and simplicity within the Catholic Church.

 Professor Michal Bar-Asher Segal researches Christianity.

A troubled legacy? Pope Francis and Jewish-Catholic relations - opinion

Many in the Jewish community felt that the Vatican, which had once pledged never to stand aside when Jews were threatened, failed to condemn a group that openly calls for the annihilation of Jews.

 Pope Francis greets cardinals as he appears during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 13, 2025.

Pope Francis dies at 88 after long battle with respiratory illness

Francis, originally from Argentina, was the first Catholic pontiff from the Americas and began his career as a Jesuit priest in Argentina.

 Pope Francis. Vatican announces new guidelines allowing gay men to become priests in Italy under vow of celibacy.

Pope Francis thanks doctors who saved his life in meeting at Vatican

The 88-year-old pontiff is gradually making more public appearances as he recovers from the biggest health crisis in his 12 years in the role.

 Pope Francis gestures during his first public appearance in five weeks, on the day of his discharge from Gemelli Hospital, in Rome, Italy, March 23, 2025.