Philip Pullella is a reporter for Reuters.
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The Rising Demand for Exorcisms ... Even by Cellphone
A priest attends a course for aspiring exorcists in Rome, Italy April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Father Benigno Palilla, an exorcist for the diocese of Palermo, told Vatican Radio in February that he had performed about 50 exorcisms in the past two and a half years.
Fighting Social Injustice as Important as Fighting Abortion: Pope
Image via Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi
Since the start of his papacy in 2013, conservatives have criticized Francis, accusing him of not defending moral teachings such as those on abortion, homosexuality and divorce as strongly as his predecessors.
Pope Francis Washes Feet of Prisoners, Says Death Penalty Is Not Christian
Pope Francis kisses the foot of an inmate at the Regina Coeli prison during the Holy Thursday celebration in Rome, Italy, March 29, 2018. Osservatore Romano/Handout via REUTERS
Since his election in 2013, Francis has several times called for an worldwide ban on capital punishment, prompting criticism from Church conservatives, particularly in the United States.
Keep Shouting, Don't Become Anesthetized, Pope Tells Young People
Pope Francis after the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 25, 2018 REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Pope Francis, starting Holy Week services leading to Easter, urged young people on Sunday to keep shouting and not allow the older generations to silence their voices or anesthetize their idealism.
On Pope Francis' 5-Year Anniversary, Predecessor Defends Pontiff
Pope Francis (L) meets Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican June 28, 2017. Picture taken June 28, 2017. Osservatore Romano/Handout via Reuters
In his letter, former Pope Benedict disputed suggestions by conservatives that Francis' academic qualities were lacking, praising his successor as a "man of deep philosophical and theological formation" and praising an "interior continuity between the two pontificates".
Vatican Signals Its Concern Over Populist Rise in Italy Elections
Pope Francis talks to Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as they arrive at the Cathedral San Juan Apostol y Evangelista in Lima, Peru, January 21, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo
"The Holy See has to work in whatever conditions arise. We can't [always] have the society that we would like to have, or the conditions that we would like to have," he told the Catholic news agency SIR.
Pope Says Syria Being 'Martyred,' Urges Humanitarian Aid for Ghouta
Pope Francis waves as he leads his Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, Feb. 25, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Pope Francis on Sunday said Syria was being "martyred" by continued attacks killing civilians in the eastern Ghouta district, calling for an immediate end to violence and access to humanitarian aid.
Opening Lent, Pope Francis Urges People to Rediscover Power of Silence
Pope Francis has his head sprinkled with ashes by a cardinal during the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome. Feb. 14, 2018. Osservatore Romano/Handout via Reuters
Pope Francis, leading Catholics into the season of Lent, urged people on Wednesday to slow down amid the noise, haste, and desire for instant gratification in a high-tech world to rediscover the power of silence.
China-Vatican Deal on Bishops Ready for Signing
Faithful from a Catholic church take part in a Christmas parade in Shanghai, China December 24, 2017. REUTERS/Aly Song
"Afterwards we will still be like a bird in a cage but the cage will be bigger," he said. It is not easy. Suffering will continue. We will have to fight for every centimeter to increase the size of the cage," he said.
Pope Sends Envoy to Chile to Investigate Bishop Accused of Abuse Cover-Up
Pope Francis celebrates a mass at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy, January 28, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Barros has been accused of protecting his former mentor, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years.
Pope Francis Condemns ‘Evil’ of Fake News, Calls for ‘Education for Truth’
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square. Jan. 24, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the "evil" of fake news, saying journalists and social media users should shun and unmask manipulative "snake tactics" that foment division to serve political and economic interests.
Pope Urges Hope in Visit to Peru Area Devastated by Floods
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to celebrate a mass at Huanchaco beach in Trujillo, Peru Jan. 20, 2018. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares
Pope Francis, visiting an area of Peru that was devastated last year by heavy rains linked to climate change and plagued by gang violence, urged people not to lose hope.
Pope Francis: Protect the Amazon from ‘Consumerist Greed’
Pope Francis (R) greets a member of an indigenous group of the Peruvian Amazon region, at the Coliseum Madre de Dios, in Puerto Maldonado, Peru January 19, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
"The native Amazonian peoples have probably never been so threatened on their own lands as they are at present," the pope told a crowd of indigenous people from more than 20 groups including the Harakbut, Esse-ejas, Shipibos, Ashaninkas, and Juni Kuin.
Pope Francis Asks for Forgiveness for ‘Great and Painful Evil’ of Church Sex Abuse in Chile
Pope Francis speaks at the La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 16, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Pope Francis publicly expressed "pain and shame" on Tuesday over the rape and molestation of children by priests in Chile and later listened, prayed, and cried at a private meeting with victims.
Pope's ‘State of World’ Speech Urges Nuclear Ban, Dialogue in Korea
U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich and her husband talk with Pope Francis during the traditional exchange of the New Year greetings in the Regal Room at the Vatican January 8, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool
"Nuclear weapons must be banned," Francis said, quoting a document issued by Pope John XXIII at the height of the Cold War and adding that there is "no denying that the conflagration could be started by some chance and unforeseen circumstance".
In Christmas Message, Pope Urges Christians to See Jesus in Refugee, Migrant Children
Image via Osservatore Romano/Handout/Reuters.
Francis, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, urged people to see the defenseless baby Jesus in the children who suffer the most from war, migration, and natural calamities caused by man today.
Pope Francis: The Poor 'Open to Us the Way to Heaven'
Pope Francis speaks before sharing a lunch with the poor following a special mass to mark the new World Day of the Poor in Paul VI's hall at the Vatican, November 19, 2017. REUTERS/Max Rossi
Francis celebrated a Mass marking the Roman Catholic Church's first yearly World Day of the Poor, which the pope established to draw the attention of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to the neediest.
Pope Denounces Health Care Inequality in Rich Countries
Pope Francis greets a man as he visits a first aid camp set up on the occasion of the World Day of the Poor in front of Saint Peter's square in Rome, Italy November 16, 2017. Osservatore Romano/Handout via Reuters
Francis did not mention any countries. Healthcare is a big issue in the United States, where President Donald Trump has vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, introduced by his predecessor, Barack Obama, which aimed to make it easier for lower-income households to get health insurance.
Pope Francis: Humanity Will ‘Go Down’ If It Does Not Address Climate Change
Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference aboard a plane to Rome at the end of his visit to Colombia September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Andrew Medichini/Pool.
"If someone is doubtful that this is true, they should ask scientists. They are very clear. These are not opinions made on the fly. They are very clear. Then each person can decide and history will judge the decisions," he said.
Pope Francis Adds Fourth Path to Catholic Sainthood: Saving Lives
FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis walks at the end of a canonization mass for seven new saints in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 16, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile /File Photo
Pope Francis made one of the most significant changes in centuries to the Roman Catholic Church's saint-making procedures on Tuesday, adding a new category for people who give their lives to save others.