Pope Francis delivered his annual “state of the world” address on Thursday, asking ambassadors to pursue a “diplomacy of hope” in the 2025 Jubilee Year.

Gossip kills, gossip poisons. Please, no gossiping among you, none. And to ask this of a woman is heroic but, come on, let’s move forward and no gossip.”

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy to succeed Cardinal Wilton Gregory as the Archbishop of Washington. A progressive voice in the American

Pope Francis expressed concern about "the increasingly concrete threat of a world war" at a New Year's reception for foreign ambassadors to the Holy See on Thursday. The head of the Catholic Church called on diplomats to engage in dialogue,

Warning of “the increasingly concrete threat of a world war,” Pope Francis called for “the diplomacy of hope” in his address to the ambassadors of the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Pope Francis’ decision to appoint a liberal cardinal to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. was reportedly done in response to

Pope Francis’s appointment of Cardinal Robert McElroy as the highly visible prelate of the church in Washington is already being interpreted as a shot across the bow of the Trump administration, given the new archbishop’s outspoken views on immigrants’ rights.

Pope Francis on Wednesday enjoyed a performance by members of an African-themed circus troupe called CircAfrica. The group brought acrobats, robot-operated elephants, jugglers and dancers on roller skates to perform for the pope in the Vatican auditorium.

Cardinal Robert McElroy has supported migrants and said the church should be more inclusive to women and LGBT people.

In what would have been his last overseas trip as president, Joe Biden had been set to depart for Italy Thursday night to meet with Pope Francis.

That the Star of Bethlehem indicates a direction is also a helpful point of reflection during the Jubilee Year 2025, the Pope said.