Pope

'Like death of pope': UCL Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society doubles down on mourning 'beloved' Khamenei

UCL's Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society, which purports to explore the teachings of Islam as taught by the Prophet and his household, posted its "condolences" on Khamenei's "martyrdom."

|ByMATHILDA HELLER
University College London's Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Society mourning the death of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, March 2, 2026
POPE LEO XIV puts ash on a faithful's head during the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2026.

'A world that is ablaze': Pope Leo laments war, environmental destruction, in Ash Wednesday service

Before sprinkling ashes on the heads of participants, a sign of mortality, the pope said the ashes could represent "the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war."

|ByREUTERS
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Christmas Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2025.

Vatican says it will not participate in Trump's Gaza Board of Peace

The Holy See "will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States," the Vatican's top diplomatic official said.

|ByREUTERS
Steve Bannon gestures during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 20, 2025, in this still image taken from a handout video.

Steve Bannon attempted to work with Jeffrey Epstein against Pope Francis - CNN

Bannon, who had previously served as an advisor to US President Donald Trump, reportedly petitioned Epstein to help him take down the pope.

|ByTZVI JASPER

Jesus gets a makeover as Sistine Chapel artwork undergoes restoration

The Vatican announced that Michelangelo’s Last Judgment will undergo its first restoration in 30 years, while the Sistine Chapel remains open to visitors.

FEBRUARY 2, 2026ByREUTERS
Pope Leo XIV holds a baptism for Vatican City employees in the Sistine Chapel, January 11, 2026; illustrative.

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.

DECEMBER 12, 2025ByTHE 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.

'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.

DECEMBER 9, 2025ByREUTERS
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.

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.

DECEMBER 4, 2025ByREUTERS
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 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.

NOVEMBER 30, 2025ByREUTERS
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.

Maronite Patriarch: Hezbollah needs to 'free itself from Iran, disarm,' denounces Israeli strikes

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi urged Hezbollah to break from Iran and give its weapons to the Lebanese Army, calling diplomacy the only path to avoid another war.

NOVEMBER 30, 2025ByJAMES GENN
Pope Leo XIV greets Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Maronite Church, cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on October 18, 2025; illustrative.

Pope Leo XIV arrives in tense Lebanon, urging peace amid Hezbollah-Israel strains

Pope Leo's 3-day visit to Lebanon comes as the country faces escalating Hezbollah–Israel tensions. His trip includes appeals for peace, key meetings, and a prayer at the Beirut port blast site.

NOVEMBER 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A billboard depicting Pope Leo XIV, ahead of his planned visit to Lebanon, at the main airport road in Beirut, Lebanon November 21, 2025.

Hezbollah welcomes Pope to Lebanon as Islamist groups stress ties between ‘two Abrahamic faiths'

Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, but was not welcomed by the head of Turkey's state-run religious organization despite earlier plans.

NOVEMBER 29, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
A billboard of Pope Leo XIV is placed along a road, ahead of his planned visit to Lebanon, in Hazmieh, Lebanon November 28, 2025.

Vatican calls for exclusive marriages, condemns polygamy, polyamory

Pope Leo says to the world's catholics they should only marry once and should not have multiple relationships.

NOVEMBER 25, 2025ByREUTERS
Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass for the Jubilee of Choirs, in Saint Peter's Square, at the Vatican, November 23, 2025.

Pope Francis' popemobile turned into mobile clinic for Gaza children

"We're pleased that we have here a serious contribution towards the healthcare of children in Gaza," Caritas Secretary-General Alistair Dutton told a press conference in Bethlehem.

NOVEMBER 25, 2025ByREUTERS
A Palestinian works on the Vehicle of Hope, the former popemobile used by Pope Francis during its transformation into a fully equipped mobile clinic, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 20, 2025.