Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was elected as the 266th pope on March 13, 2013, took an unprecedented step of adopting the name Francis. The Argentine-born was the first Jesuit pope and history's first ...

When I first saw Giotto’s fresco cycle “The Legend of St. Francis” in the upper church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi—a small Italian town two hours from Rome by train—I thought: Is this ...

Find today’s readings here. I never met my Uncle Jamie. He died in 1963, well before I was born. He was my father’s eldest brother. Growing up, my aunts and uncles would, on occasion, tell stories ...

For the first time, the body of St. Francis of Assisi will be visible to all, from Feb. 22 to March 22, 2026. This religious and historical event was announced on the memorial of the saint of Assisi ...

Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, was laid to rest Saturday with a funeral service and procession that melded Catholic Church tradition with some of Francis' humble personal wishes. The ...

This year, I won't be taking my dog Charlie to receive his blessing for the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. Two months ago, he breathed his last breath after having spent ...

The Italian Parliament this week took a major step toward making the Oct. 4 feast of St. Francis of Assisi a national holiday. The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Italy’s Parliament, voted to ...

Pets across the country went to church to get blessed. Yes, you read that right! This happened in honor of St. Francis Day, celebrating St. Francis of Assisi, on Saturday, Oct. 4. Video footage shared ...

ASSISI, Italy — Pilgrims have been pouring into this medieval hilltop town to venerate not only two of the Catholic Church’s most celebrated saints, Francis and Clare, but its newest — Carlo Acutis, ...

PETA has offered to help fund controversial statues of saints in Quincy, Massachusetts. The offer is conditional on the city adding a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The ...