Vatican City

Shadows of tourists are cast across a papal crest on the floor

Unsealed records of Pope Pius XII could shed light on Vatican’s turbulent postwar years

Author David Kertzer tells host Marco Werman that historians hope to learn how much the Vatican knew about the persecution and mass murder of European Jews.

Unsealed records of Pope Pius XII could shed light on Vatican’s turbulent postwar years
President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama were there in person to welcome Pope Francis at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the pontiff's first visit to the United States on September 22, 2015.

Pope Francis wants the Vatican to serve the people

Pope Francis wants the Vatican to serve the people
A newly wed couple attends as Pope Francis leads his Sunday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, August 16, 2015.

Pope Francis is speeding up the process for Catholics to get an annulment

Pope Francis is speeding up the process for Catholics to get an annulment
Pope Francis sits next to Hindu leader Ndu-Kurukkal SivaSri T. Mahadeva during the Interreligious Encounter in Colombo, Sri Lanka on January 13, 2015.

Pope Francis shows pugnacious side: You'd better not insult my mother

Pope Francis shows pugnacious side: You'd better not insult my mother
Pope Francis delivers a "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and world) message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Christmas Day of 2014.

Pope Francis was a huge story in 2014, but a veteran Vatican reporter says the media got a lot wrong

Pope Francis was a huge story in 2014, but a veteran Vatican reporter says the media got a lot wrong
The annual procession of Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of Cuba in Havana.

How the Pope lent Washington and Havana a helping hand

The US and Cuba supposedly negotiated in secret for more than a year to bring about a thaw between the two countries. They weren't the only ones, though: Pope Francis also helped the two longtime enemies conduct their back-channel diplomacy.

How the Pope lent Washington and Havana a helping hand
Nuns look on as Pope Francis arrives to lead his weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on October 22, 2014.

American nuns get an unexpected olive branch from the Vatican

American nuns have come in for sharp criticism in the past from Vatican officials. But the Catholic Church's latest report on nuns in the US offered praise instead, a welcome change at a time when American religious orders are growing older and more cash-strapped.

American nuns get an unexpected olive branch from the Vatican
Pope Francis speaks outside the Castelpetroso sanctuary near Isernia in southern Italy on July 5, 2014. During the speech, he told students that environmental damage was a sin.

Why Pope Francis is 'throwing down a gauntlet' on environmental destruction

Pope Francis has already called attention to poverty and inequality, and he's now calling Catholics to pay more notice to the environment. In doing so, he could change not only policy but the way that people view sin and responsibility.

Why Pope Francis is 'throwing down a gauntlet' on environmental destruction
Pope Francis and President Barack Obama enjoying each other's company during their meeting Thursday in the Vatican.

Obama's visit to the pope was about more than just politics

President Barack Obama met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday. Both sides described the meeting as cordial, and Obama professed himself a "great admirer" of the new pontiff. Despite the bonhomie, there are issues that divide the two men.

Obama's visit to the pope was about more than just politics
Jerome Kerviel

A disgraced French trader walks home from his meeting with the pope — to Paris

Six years ago, derivatives trader Jerome Kerviel made some bad trades — very bad trades that cost his bank nearly $7 billion. Now he faces prison and perhaps paying it back. So he's decided to take a long walk, from Rome to Paris.

A disgraced French trader walks home from his meeting with the pope — to Paris
In a new Frontline documentary, director Antony Thomas goes inside the Vatican to reveal secrets of the institution.

A Frontline documentary exposes the Vatican's 'secrets' under Pope Benedict

Frontline's new documentary, "Secrets of the Vatican," uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict's papacy. It's a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.

A Frontline documentary exposes the Vatican's 'secrets' under Pope Benedict
Pope smiling in Feb 2014

Will the Pope shift the church's stance on divorce?

Divorced Catholics who remarry are not allowed to take communion. And that exclusion may well be reconsidered as Pope Francis develops his plans for reforming the church, according to Boston Globe columnist and author James Carroll.

Will the Pope shift the church's stance on divorce?
Music teacher Adriano Caroletti coaches 3rd graders during their preparatory year at the Schola Puerorum in Rome.

This Vatican school trains boys for the Pope's choir

Remember being nervous as a child before singing at your Christmas play in school? Now imagine that your auditorium is St. Peter's Basilica, your audience is the entire Catholic world, and your master of ceremony is the Pope. In Rome, some 30 children are preparing for just that.

This Vatican school trains boys for the Pope's choir

Pope Francis Blesses Brazil with First Foreign Trip

In Brazil, Pope Francis is starting his first foreign trip as leader of the Catholic Church. Many Brazilians are excited, but can Francis quell the numerous protests that have overrun the country in recent weeks?

Pope Francis Blesses Brazil with First Foreign Trip

Italian Police Senior Vatican Cleric for Allegedly Smuggling Millions of Dollars

Italian police have arrested a senior Catholic cleric, Monsignor Nunzio Scarano. He is accused of attempting to smuggle millions in cash into Italy for a family friend. Scarano is also a senior accountant in the Vatican's financial administration.

Italian Police Senior Vatican Cleric for Allegedly Smuggling Millions of Dollars