Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a “Special Year of St. Francis” to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. During ...

In a letter, the pope prayed to St. Francis, asking the saint's intercession "to give us the courage to build bridges where ...

ASSISI, Italy (AP) — As Pope Francis entered his third week in a hospital battling pneumonia, hundreds of pilgrims continued to make their way to this hilltop town to pray at the tomb of St. Francis, ...

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi every year on Oct. 4. Known as the patron saint of animals and ecology, the 13th-century Italian friar is often remembered for his ...

But the Nativity scene now recreated in town squares and churches worldwide was originally conceived by St. Francis of Assisi. Much of what scholars know about Francis comes from “Life of St. Francis, ...

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church, marked more than a decade of transformative leadership. From his humble beginnings in Argentina to his ...

It’s a well-known origin story: how the young and wealthy Francis of Assisi freely abandoned his noble patrimony to serve Christ’s Church as a poor, itinerant preacher. One of the world’s most beloved ...

Pope Francis waving to attendees before a Mass in Cuba in 2015.Credit...Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times Supported by By The New York Times The life of Pope Francis, the first Latin American ...