A papyrus fragment that has recently been deciphered by historians at a German university — where it had been stored unnoticed for decades — could be the oldest record of Jesus’ childhood, experts said.

Pope Francis once again renewed his call for a cease-fire in Gaza following the rescue of four hostages that led to what officials in Gaza said was the killing of more than 270 Palestinians in an Israeli rescue operation that one European Union diplomat deemed a “massacre.”

Israeli and Palestinian envoys to the Holy See have applauded Pope Francis’s prayer for peace in the Vatican gardens Friday, commemorating a similar event held 10 years ago, with both calling the initiative symbolic and illustrative of the pope’s commitment to ending the Gaza war.

Pope Francis will welcome comedians from all over the world next week, including top American names such as Whoopi Goldberg and Jimmy Fallon, for a cultural event at the Vatican aimed at forging stronger ties between the Catholic Church and the world of comedy.

A former Vatican employee has been arrested in a sting operation and is currently behind bars awaiting formal charges for trying to sell back a manuscript he allegedly pilfered from the archives of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican confirmed Thursday, after the incident was first reported in the Italian newspaper Domani.

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, winner of the 2024 Templeton Prize — one of the world’s largest lifetime achievement awards — has worked to help South Africans overcome trauma through forgiveness and reconciliation.

People must continue to recognize the sacrifice of the Allied soldiers who liberated Europe from “Nazi barbarism,” but also should not forget the German soldiers “dragged into this drama,” Pope Francis said.

Marking 80 years since some 4,400 Allied troops “heroically gave their lives” to the cause of freedom by storming the beach in Normandy, D-Day commemorations remind the world that disrupting peace in pursuit of worldly interests is a grave sin, Pope Francis said.

It was an emotional welcome when 48 veterans from around the U.S. arrived at the Deauville-Normandy Airport June 4 on board a special flight from Atlanta to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.

The first years of priesthood are challenging, and the best way to survive and thrive is through closeness to God, to one’s bishop, one’s fellow priests and to one’s parishioners, Pope Francis told priests who have been ordained less than 10 years.