RELIGION

Pope Francis enters a new phase of his papacy free from the constraints of co-existing with a predecessor.

Tens of thousands pay tribute to ex-pope Benedict at lying-in-state

Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict.

Former pope Benedict XVI remains in a serious but stable condition, Italian media reported Thursday, the day after the Vatican revealed the 95-year-old's health had deteriorated.

Pope says ex-pontiff Benedict 'very ill'

The pope has called for peace in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded its neighbour in February, condemning the war but seeking to maintain a delicate dialogue with Moscow.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called on people to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations, and donate the money saved to those in war-ravaged Ukraine.

A 19-year-old woman was forced to execute her own mother under Iran's barbaric laws

Pope Francis, who has often said he may step down in the future if bad health impedes him from leading the Catholic Church, on Sunday praised the humility of one of the few popes in history to resign willingly instead of ruling for life.

Pope Francis will on Saturday create 20 new cardinals picked from the four corners of the world, most of whom could one day end up choosing the pontiff's successor.

Pope Francis asks North Korea to invite him to visit

Pope Francis on Tuesday acted to eliminate wiggle room or foot- dragging by Vatican departments in imposing tighter financial controls, setting a deadline for the closing of investment portfolios in foreign banks, including in Italy.

A five-year-old girl, Zoey, was allegedly kicked out of her school in Louisiana because her parents are a same-sex couple.

Pope Francis will install the first cardinal of Brazil's Amazon region this month in a sign of his concern for the rainforest and its indigenous inhabitants, the man whom he picked for the role said.

Monsignor Javier Herrera-Corona, the Vatican's unofficial representative in Hong Kong, delivered a stark message to the city's 50-odd Catholic missions before finishing his six-year posting in March: the freedoms they had enjoyed for decades were over.

Thousands flock to Indonesian volcano for Hindu ritual sacrifice

The Vatican, in an apparent attempt to boost the confidence of the faithful in how their charitable contributions to the pope are used, on Thursday issued the first detailed disclosure of his main fund.

Terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has threatened suicide bombings all over India to avenge purported remarks made against Prophet.

Russia's Orthodox Church has ousted its second most powerful bishop from his role in charge of foreign relations and sent him to Budapest, an abrupt decision indicating discord at the top of the Moscow Patriarchate over the war in Ukraine.

A Muslim school teacher in the Indian state of Assam was arrested for allegedly carrying beef to school in her lunch box.

A video that has gone viral on social media brought a cruel tradition to light wherein a person gets every strand of hair pulled from her head by hand until they go bald. The tradition is followed by people who follow an ancient Indian religion called Jainism.

At least eleven people, including three children, were electrocuted after a temple chariot they were travelling with came in contact with the overhead high-transmission live wire in Kalimedu village near Thanjavur district of India's Tamil Nadu.

Freedom of speech has historically enjoyed strong protection in Sweden.

A Pakistan anti-terror court has sentenced six men to death for their role in the mob killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of committing blasphemy.

A recent order by the civic officials in India's capital New Delhi, ordering the closing down of meat shops in the city during the Hindu festival of Navratri, has sparked outrage in the country.

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in a rare video appearance has praised Muskan Khan, the student who had become the face of defiance against the hijab ban in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Colchester Royal Grammar School, one of the UK's best grammar schools has again courted controversy after it was forced to suspend a teacher for using a mug depicting Prophet Muhammad.

The Afghanistan Taliban in its latest diktat has asked all male government employees to wear a beard to office or risk being fired from the job.

The students who had participated in the protest against the hijab ban in schools and colleges in the Indian state of Karnataka, will not be given a second chance to appear for the practical exams.