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Pope Francis watches as performers put on a show at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

The Elephant That Captivated The Pope and Lived in the Vatican Gardens

Jan 10, 2025

During his Jan. 8 general audience, Pope Francis enjoyed a circus performance that included two animatronic elephants, evoking Pope Leo X’s pet elephant.

Benedict XVI greeted a fluffy black cat named Pushkin during his visit to the Birmingham Oratory established by St. John Henry Newman. | Courtesy of the Birmingham Oratory

Benedict XVI: A Look Back at the Cat-loving Pope’s Favorite Feline Friends

Jan 1, 2023

The late Benedict XVI was known for his intellectual acumen as a theologian and philosopher, but perhaps his most relatable quality was that he was a cat person. 

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Credit: Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM)

Relief as 83-Year-Old Catholic Missionary, Helper Abducted in Cameroon Released after Two Days in Captivity

Credit: Caritas South Sudan

Caritas South Sudan “stands with” Catholic Bishops on Parties Involved in Rising Tensions Refraining from Violence

Bishop François Xavier Ghanbodè Gnonhossou. Credit: Vatican Media

Planned Diocesan Assembly to Reflect on 30-year Journey of Benin’s Dassa-Zoumé Diocese in “a synodal spirit”

Statue of St. Peter on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis' Condition Shows "slight improvement" as Medical Care Continues

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick arrives at Massachusetts’ Dedham District Courthouse for his arraignment, Sept. 3, 2021. / Credit: Andrew Bukuras/CNA

Theodore McCarrick, Former U.S. Cardinal Laicized after Vatican Investigation, Dies at 94

Pilgrims walk through St. Peter’s Square in September 2024. / Credit: Dorisb.83/Shutterstock

"Bear witness joyfully to hope that does not disappoint": Pope Francis to Slovak Pilgrims

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St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. / Credit: Mistervlad/Shutterstock

More than 20,000 Pilgrims from 90 Countries to Participate in Jubilee of the Sick, Health Care Workers at Vatican

The Council of Nicaea in 325 as depicted in a fresco in Salone Sistino at the Vatican. / Credit: Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618), Cesare Nebbia (1534-1614) e aiuti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican Releases Document to mark 1,700th Anniversary of First Council of Nicaea

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick arrives at Massachusetts’ Dedham District Courthouse for his arraignment, Sept. 3, 2021. / Credit: Andrew Bukuras/CNA

Theodore McCarrick, Former U.S. Cardinal Laicized after Vatican Investigation, Dies at 94

Credit: Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM)

Relief as 83-Year-Old Catholic Missionary, Helper Abducted in Cameroon Released after Two Days in Captivity

Statue of St. Peter on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis' Condition Shows "slight improvement" as Medical Care Continues

Pilgrims walk through St. Peter’s Square in September 2024. / Credit: Dorisb.83/Shutterstock

"Bear witness joyfully to hope that does not disappoint": Pope Francis to Slovak Pilgrims

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