Italian Air Force jets had to escort an American Airlines plane to Rome because of a security concern, which ultimately proved to be “non-credible.” The flight was on its way from New York to New Delhi,

Another woman is taking over a top management job in the Vatican: Sister Raffaella Petrini, an Italian nun, was named Saturday as president of the Vatican City State, making her essentially the governor of the 44-hectare (108-acre) territory in Rome that is home to the Catholic Church.

A shop worker arranges figurines of Pope Francis for a photograph in a souvenir shop in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/)

Pope Francis has shown a "further, slight improvement" in his medical condition, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.

Pope Francis was a frequent visitor to Rome long before he became pope. Now his favorite shops and artisans are pulling for him as he battles double pneumonia.

Reports of Pope Francis' critical health condition have put global media outlets including CNN, CBS and NBC, in high gear to descend upon Rome.

Pope Francis has been in hospital for 11 days, with recent blood tests show early, mild kidney failure after he experienced a respiratory crisis.

Surgeon Sergio Alfieri spoke reassuringly of Pope Francis’s condition in English on Feb. 21, but another doctor in Italian warned the infection could be fatal if it spread to the pope’s blood.

For approximately 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Rome is the axis around which the entire cosmos turns. It is often said that the Catholic Church “thinks in centuries,” but when the life of the pope is in jeopardy,

As Pope Francis remains in critical condition at Gemelli Hospital in Rome - still in charge of the Vatican and the worldwide Roman Catholic church - millions of the devout are praying for his full recovery,

Pope Francis continued his slow recovery from double pneumonia on Thursday, beating back speculation of an imminent death, resignation or conclave and signaling that he was still very much in charge, albeit in a weakened state.