Catholic theologians and monastics have always encouraged humor, emphasizing its power to heal and bring cultures together.
A march for climate action in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in June 2015. Pope Francis praised the participants, who included Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus.
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Between 1939 and 1945, Pope Pius XII put the interests of the Catholic Church in Germany before the fate of European Jews.
A priest and Catholic worshippers pray in front of an image of ‘Sangre de Cristo,’ burned in a fire on July 2020, at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua.
Oswaldo Rivas/AFP via Getty Images
Kai M. Thaler, University of California, Santa Barbara
When President Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2006, church figures supported him. Violent repression after the 2018 protests has soured the relationship and made clergy targets for intimidation.
Pope Francis baptizes 16 infants in the Sistine Chapel on Jan. 7, 2024, in Vatican City.
Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Surrogacy can exploit women, but others may choose to be involved for altruistic reasons. A scholar points out that surrogacy’s ethical value is dependent upon the people and systems who use it.
Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 18, 2023.
AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
In what’s likely to be the hottest year on record, nations are gathering to try and hash out faster action on climate change. Here are the three main issues facing negotiators.
Pope Francis (in white) at the opening session of a major congress on the Catholic Church’s future on 4 October 2023.
Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
As the Synod of Bishops meets in Rome, a Catholic theologian explains the preparations that went into the consultative process and what it says about Pope Francis’ vision for the future church.
New cardinals at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sept. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca
The College of Cardinals is an important part of the church’s governance structure. Its members elect the next pope and help develop future policies for the church.
The good old days: Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, rose to prominence after being a Kremlin catering boss.
Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo
The Catholic community that Pope Francis will visit later this month has a complex history that goes back to the 13th century, when the Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan.
Fruitless talks: the African delegation failed to reach agreement with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/UPI
Hernias are common. Not all need surgery. Here’s what we know about hernias, who’s most at risk, and how they’re treated.
Last week, Pope Francis repudiated a 500-year-old-decree justifying colonialism. This image is from last summer: at Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., in Canada.
(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation and Boké Saisi, The Conversation
The Vatican has repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, a 500-year-old decree used to justify settler colonialism. Scholar Veldon Coburn explains this symbolic victory and what still needs to happen.
The AI-generated images of Pope Francis that fooled much of the internet.
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Professor of Management & Organizations; Professor of Environment & Sustainability; Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan