Even in death, Pope Francis remained a trailblazer — becoming the only pontiff to open, but not close, the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in what has become a fateful symbol of his papal legacy.

JERUSALEM (AP) — On the Saturday before Easter, thousands of Christians gather in the cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulcher for a centuries-old ceremony known as the Holy Fire. Holding unlit candles, ...

Visitors walk through the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Jan. 5, 2025, after its ceremonial opening by U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the basilica.

Since Pope Francis marked the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee year, 1.3 million people have passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, according to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, ...

Just a few weeks remain until the closing of the holy year, which was inaugurated by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024.

“In the whole history of the Orthodox Church in America, this has never been seen,” a priest said about the surge of young men drawn to the demanding practice of Christianity. “The Orthodox Church is ...