Pope Francis

Pontiff (87) will also visit East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea during longest tour of his papacy

German cleric appointed papal nuncio to the Baltic countries after period in wilderness following publication of controversial memoir

Kerry writer John Moriarty, who died in 2007, called for ‘the abandonment of the western way of life’

Ardal O’Hanlon, Tommy Tiernan and Patrick Kielty among group of comedians to have audience with Pope Francis

Irish comic trio part of audience of more than 100 international artists meeting pontiff

Rite & Reason: The Irish churches are stuck in a sectarian time warp while the existential current and future needs of Ireland and the world go mostly unaddressed.

Pontiff (87) is alleged to have made remark during meeting with bishops in Rome last week in discussion over admission of gay men to Catholic seminaries

Carlo Acutis was a computer prodigy who helped to spread Catholic teaching online before his death in 2006

London’s mayor led a delegation to the Vatican on Thursday for a summit on climate change

Stanislav Aseyev returns after injury to Donbas, where he survived nearly 1,000 days in brutal captivity

Very little has changed in terms of doctrine, even if the background music is softer and less dogmatic

Saturday

Francis skipped night-time Via Crucis procession on Friday

Rite & Reason: The resurrection is not an event of the past - it contains a vital power permeating this world

Sudden no-show renews concerns about the 87-year-old

Rite & Reason: To make dogmatic statements about the mystery of God was, and continues to be, a great mistake

Moscow says attacks repelled and many gunmen killed days before presidential election

Moscow says pontiff’s comments were a request to Kyiv’s western allies to abandon their ambition to defeat Russia

UN rapporteur says Moscow’s forces use torture as ‘deliberate policy’ in Ukraine

Russia says negotiations impossible unless Kyiv accepts occupation of territory and other conditions that would limit sovereignty

Catholic Church has indicated its willingness to assist the State in providing for a plurality of schools, and has positively engaged in a process to achieve reconfiguration of patronage at primary level

Shadowy papal politics makes predictions difficult, but certain ‘papabile’ are already gathering their forces

A priest is now permitted to give ‘short and simple pastoral blessings – that are neither liturgical nor ritualised – of couples in irregular situations’, Archbishop Farrell said

Pontiff included ‘commercialisation’ of pregnancy in speech listing threats to global peace, human dignity

Country being attacked in a ‘multi-arena war’, according to Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant

Pontiff calls for an end to conflicts worldwide and criticises global arms trade from balcony of St Peter’s

Pity there are so many caveats to this recent recognition

Ursula Halligan of We are Church group says declaration ‘a small step in the right direction’ but that conditions attached are ‘mean, stingy, and grudging’

Vatican confirms blessings can be offered but are not to be confused with the ritual of marriage

French minister says ‘too many civilians are being killed’, UK and Germany call for halt to fighting as Martin repeats need for pause to be immediate

Francis says he will be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore but that is health is good

Rite & Reason: The pope has cancelled his trip to Dubai due to illness, but not even he would have been able to salvage these discredited climate talks

Saturday

Former president of Ireland Mary McAleese among signatories of letter

Pontiff declines weekly Sunday appearance at St Peter’s Square window after Vatican indicates pontiff suffering from flu

Vatican and American bishops face such differences under Francis that it has ‘placed US Church on verge of schism’

As the pontiff apparently seeks to create a more welcoming Catholic Church, a cadre of conservatives become emboldened in airing ferocious criticism

Bishop Joseph Strickland is fierce critic of pontiff and some of his priorities and reforms

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty helped to operate the so-called Rome Escape Line

Higgins believes himself well qualified to speak ‘as a political scientist, as a sociologist’ and activist for 50 years