Pope Francis is making history with his trip to Iraq. Follow along.

Pope Francis, by visiting a Shia majority country, completes his pastoral embrace of the Islamic world, begun two years ago with his trip to Abu Dhabi when he met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI marked the eighth anniversary of his resignation by insisting he stepped down knowingly and that “there is only one pope”—Francis.

Infectious disease experts are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him.

In a book on the health of the popes, Francis discusses his own health history and says he is now in good health for his age.

An interview with Cardinal Leonardi Sandri, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Oriental Churches