A smiling and standing pope patted the children on their heads as their parents held them, according to photos of the encounter released by the Vatican.

Pope Francis had a temporary fever last evening, July 7. But routine microbiological examinations and a CT scan of his chest and abdomen carried out this morning came back negative.

Here's a look at what we know about the operation and what the pope's doctors will be watching out for.

In this era of viral videos and the cult of social media personalities, understanding mental health and also the effects of celebrity priesthood is a conversation we must have.

Although only a small minority of L.G.B.T. Catholics will ever seek conversion therapy, the assumptions underlying that therapy often influence the message many gay Catholics hear in the confessional and from friends and mentors.

I had to accept that it’s possible that there is no God. Or that there is, but he is a stranger. Instead of choosing to trust the church because trust was where I wanted to be, I deliberately stepped out, off the safety of the shore, into doubt.