FILE - Pope Francis attends his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Andrew Medichini / AP Photo, File)

In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis lamented that 2024 had dawned at a time in which peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”

Pope Francis, center, sits as the coffin of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI St. Peter's Square is carrying for a funeral mass at the Vatican, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo / Alessandra Tarantino)

Benedict XVI is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest theologians and spent his lifetime upholding church doctrine. But he will go down in history for a singular, revolutionary act that changed the future of the papacy: He retired, the first pope in six centuries to do so.

Pope Francis and John Kerry talk during their meeting at the Vatican, Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Vatican Media via AP)

John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, met privately with Pope Francis on Saturday, afterward calling the pope a “compelling moral authority on the subject of the climate crisis” who has been “ahead of the curve.”

Pope Francis elevated Blase Cupich, along with 16 other archbishops, to the College of Cardinals on Saturday. But that’s not the only news the pope made. 

Archbishop Blase Cupich

Faced with major, ongoing financial pressure, the Archdiocese of Chicago is looking hard at its mission and membership. Archbishop Blase Cupich talks about the Chicago Catholic Church's money woes and how it might reorganize and revitalize itself.

"White Crucifixion," Mark Chagall. 1938. (Sharon Mollerus / Flickr)

The famous painting had been on loan to Florence's Palazzo Strozzi since September. In November, the painting moved briefly to the Vatican for a visit with Pope Francis, who had declared it to be one of his favorites. 

Archbishop Cupich

Last month, Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich took part in Pope Francis' synod on the family. Cupich joins "Chicago Tonight" to discuss the synod, as well as his private meeting with Pope Francis earlier this year and other issues facing the modern church.

Archbishop Blase Cupich

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich is one of eight American delegates at Pope Francis' synod on the family. He joins us from Rome to discuss what conversations with his fellow bishops have been like, and what we can expect to come out of the synod.

Pope Francis

The arrival of Pope Francis on Tuesday marks the fourth time a pope has visited the U.S., and the first time a pope addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Pilgrims are flocking to the East Coast for a chance to see Francis, but what some see as his progressive stances are drawing criticism from other corners of American Catholicism.

Pope Francis' recent views on climate change are sparking debates within the Catholic community. Joining us are Mark Potosnak, a member of the Catholic Climate Covenant and assistant professor of environmental science at DePaul University, and Mary Anne Hackett, president and CEO of Catholic Citizens of Illinois.

Pope Francis released an encyclical on the environment on Thursday. In the 192-page encyclical, the pope makes the case for a partnership between science and religion to fight climate change.  

We revisit the story of Chicago artist Jason Seiler who scored the biggest commission of his career: a painting of Pope Francis for the cover of TIME magazine’s Person of the Year issue. View a slideshow of Seiler's artwork.

Meet Jason Seiler, the Chicago artist who just scored the biggest commission of his career: a painting of Pope Francis for the cover of TIME magazine’s Person of the Year issue. View a slideshow of Seiler's artwork.

In recent remarks, Pope Francis says the Roman Catholic Church has become “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

In light of Pope Francis’ statements on gay priests and women during an 80-minute impromptu press conference, we take a look at his papacy and how it compares with others.

Eddie Arruza and his panel of journalists discuss the installation of Pope Francis, and what impact they think he’ll have on the Catholic Church, in this web-exclusive conversation.