News from Nigeria and Africa

Italian Teenager Gets Surprise Phone Call From Pope Francis

A 19-year-old student’s letter to the Pope was responded by a personal phone call from Francis himself, once again solidifying his status as...

PHOTO OF THE DAY - World's Best Player Lionel Messi Visits Pope Francis In Rome

Pope Francis Calls For Inclusion Of Gays In Society, Saying He Has No Right To ‘Judge’

In another act of the kind of humble outreach that has marked the early months of his papacy, Pope Francis called on Monday for the integrat...

Pope Francis Admits He Never Wanted To Become Pope In The First Place

Continuing his tradition of all-around earthiness, Pope Francis revealed Friday that he “didn’t want to be pope.”  He made the remark during...

Pope Francis Denounces Mafia, Asks Mobsters To ‘Convert To God’

Continuing to be an all-embracing Pope, Pope Francis has reached out to the Italian mafia to tell them to change their criminal ways and to ...

Pope Francis Performs An “Exorcism” On A Man In A Wheelchair

Pope Francis performed what appeared to be an exorcism Sunday afternoon on a young man in a wheelchair.  The pope laid his hands on the man’...

Pope Francis Wants Tough Action On Church Sex Abuse

Determined to end a problem that has engulfed the Catholic Church for over a decade, Pope Francis has said he wants sexual abuse to be dealt...

Pope Francis I Calls For Peace In Nigeria, Condemns Continuous Terrorist Attacks

Nigeria, ravaged by terrorism in its northern flank, featured prominently in the Easter homily of Pope Francis I, who called for an end to i...

PHOTO OF THE DAY - Pope Francis Washes The Feet Of Drug User Patients In Argentina

Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina washes the feet of patients of the Hogar de Cristo shelter for drug users, during a Holy Th...

Pope Francis Meets Predecessor Benedict XVI At Castel Gandolfo

Pope Francis has met his predecessor, Benedict XVI, in the first meeting of two popes in more than 600 years. The Vatican said the two men e...

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe Calls For African Papal Visit

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says he wants Pope Francis to visit Africa because he is "a man of God who will be praying for a...

Pope Francis Officially Begins His Papacy

Pope Francis has officially begun his papacy following an inauguration mass in front of a packed-out crowd and delegates from around the wor...

Pope Francis Meets Argentine President, Smooths Tensions

He called her policies an “attack on God’s plan.” She described him as “medieval.” But Pope Francis and President Cristina Fernandez de Kirc...

South Africa Cardinal Says Pedophilia Not A Crime

A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis this week has told the BBC pedophilia is an illness and not a crime. Cardinal Wilfrid...

Vatican Breaks Silence, Rejects Dirty War Claims ABout Pope Francis

For the first time since the election of Pope Francis, the Vatican has defended him against accusations that he knew about human rights abus...

Pope Francis Abandoned Papal Limousine For Public Bus

The Argentinian Pope eschewed the official papal limousine, which boasts the registration number SCV1, for Stato della Citta del Vaticano, i...

New Pope Slips Out Of Vatican For Morning Prayer Visit

Barely 12 hours after his election, Pope Francis quietly slipped out of the Vatican on Thursday to pray for guidance at one of Rome's gr...