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.

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE
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

The pope's comments echo Zelensky's frequent demands for a "just" peace as the Ukrainian leader tries to ensure that any agreement to end Russia's war in Ukraine is balanced.

|ByREUTERS
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 has dissolved the Vatican's fundraising panel, created in Francis’s final months, and ordered a review of future efforts.

|ByREUTERS
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

Pope Leo XIV begins a three-day visit to Lebanon, meeting leaders, touring five cities, and honoring victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion.

|ByREUTERS

Pope Francis suggests international study into possible genocide in Gaza

In excerpts published on Sunday from a new forthcoming book, the pontiff said some international experts say "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide."

NOVEMBER 17, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis looks on, at a mass to open the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, October 2, 2024.

Rome gears up for 2025 Jubilee with major renovations and record tourist influx

Visiting Rome nowadays is like entering a huge construction site. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” but the Eternal City doesn’t have the time anymore, as only a few weeks remain. 

NOVEMBER 16, 2024ByMOTTI VERSES
ELEGANT AND chic atmosphere in the reception area of the Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rome Termini.

Pope Francis: 'I stand with Rachel Goldberg-Polin during this time'

He called for the end of the conflict in Palestine and Israel to cease, the end of violence, and the end of hatred.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pope Francis looks on from a balcony, on the day he delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" (To the city and the world) message at St. Peter's Square, on Easter Sunday, at the Vatican March 31, 2024.

Catholic Church split on women deacons, Vatican document shows

The Vatican document stressed the need to "give fuller recognition" to women in the Church, saying that "by virtue of Baptism, they enjoy full equality".

JULY 9, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis reacts on the day he holds a weekly general audience at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 26, 2024.

Pope Francis considering making trip to Israel

The Pope shared that he is considering visiting Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan for the second time.

JUNE 22, 2024ByJOSH ARONSON
Pope Francis greets people as he arrives for the weekly general audience at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 19, 2024.

Vatican tightens procedures on supposed 'supernatural events'

Friday's document mentioned, as an example of past confusion, alleged supernatural appearances by the Virgin Mary in Amsterdam in the 1940s and 1950s which were eventually ruled invalid in 2020.

MAY 17, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis gestures from a balcony at St. Peter's Square, on Easter Sunday, at the Vatican March 31, 2024.

Round two of Easter in Jerusalem coming up in a month

Churches abide by different calendars, hence the holidays fall on different days most years.

APRIL 7, 2024ByNICOLE JANSEZIAN/THE MEDIA LINE
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Metropolitan Theophilos (C) takes part in the Easter Sunday mass procession inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's old city

Pope Francis calls for Gaza ceasefire in Easter address

Francis has repeatedly deplored the death and destruction in the Gaza war.

MARCH 31, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis looks on from a balcony, on the day he delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" (To the city and the world) message at St. Peter's Square, on Easter Sunday, at the Vatican March 31, 2024.

'War is always a defeat': Pope calls to end wars in Gaza, Ukraine

"We should never forget that war is always a defeat," Pope Francis said.

MARCH 20, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis reacts during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 20, 2024.

My Word: White flags, red flags, giving in, and giving up - opinion

The pope is not alone in confusing white flags with white smoke while the world burns.

MARCH 15, 2024ByLIAT COLLINS
POPE FRANCIS leaves after the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on Wednesday