The Vatican on Thursday, 11th January 2024 unveiled plans for a yearlong restoration of the monumental baldachin, or canopy, over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, pledging to complete the work on Bernini’s masterpiece before Pope Francis’ big 2025 Jubilee.

Vatican unveils plans to restore baldachin in St. Peter's Basilica

Pope Francis led his Easter Mass in a virtually empty St. Peter's Basilica in an event scaled down by COVID-19 restrictions.

Pope Francis calls for equitable vaccine distributions

Pope Francis leads Christmas celebrations with midnight mass at Vatican

Pope Francis on Sunday (October 6) appealed to conservatives not to be obsessed with the status quo as he opened an assembly of bishops to discuss the future of the Roman Catholic Church in the Amazon, including the possibility of introducing married priests.

Pope opens synod, urges conservatives to be open to changes in Church

Pope Francis on Friday (April 19) presided at a Good Friday service on the day Christian recall Jesus' death by crucifixion, and listened as a preacher denounced the widespread inequality in the world.

Papal Good Friday service draws attention to world's poor

Pope bemoans disjointed world, praises unity over diversity

Vatican's St. Peter's Square gets 720-ton sand nativity scene

At his last public event of the year, an evening vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica, the pontiff said that humanity had "wasted and wounded" the year "in many ways with works of death, with lies and injustices".

Pope, in year-end message, says 2017 was marred by war and lies