Pope Francis arrives late for his weekly address in St. Peter's Square because he was stuck in an elevator in the Vatican for 25 minutes.

Vladimir Putin arrived at the Vatican on Thursday to hold talks with Pope Francis.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati.

Australian Cardinal George Pell has been sentenced to six years in jail by an Australian court for sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s.

High-ranking Vatican officials have gathered in Rome for a summit on the sexual abuse crisis which the Roman Catholic Church has been grappling with.

Bishops from around the world are gathering at the Vatican this week for a summit on tackling a wave of child sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Church.

During the Christmas Eve Mass, Pope Francis has denounced the yawning gap between the rich and the poor, calling on people in the developed world to seek a less materialistic life and help the poor.