VATICAN CITY, Jan 2: Pope Francis apologized on Wednesday for having angrily slapped a woman’s arm when she had grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him towards her, saying he had lost his patience and set a “bad example”.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis offered a Christmas message of hope on Wednesday against darkness that cloaks conflicts and relationships in large parts of the world from the Middle East to the Americas to Africa.

VATICAN CITY, Feb 23: Cardinals attending Pope Francis’ summit on preventing clergy sex abuse called Friday for a new culture of accountability in the Catholic Church to punish bishops and religious superiors when they fail to protect their flocks from predator priests.

BEIJING, Oct 15: Taiwan has invited Pope Francis to visit, its President Tsai Ing-wen said, just weeks after the Vatican reached a milestone deal on the appointment of bishops with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own.

MOSCOW, Sept 23: After more than 60 years of uncertainty regarding Catholic clergy members operating in China, the Vatican announced a historic accord, recognizing those bishops appointed by Beijing and setting new rules for their reappointment.

BEIJING, Sept 26: A controversial agreement was signed Tuesday, naming the Pope head of the Chinese Catholic church with the right to appoint bishops.

SYDNEY, June 29: Australian police charged a top Vatican cardinal on Thursday with multiple counts of historical sexual assault offenses, a stunning decision certain to rock the highest levels of the Holy See.

Plans to open a McDonald’s next to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome have angered cardinals, including a group of the red-hatted “Princes of the Church” who live above the proposed site.