1+ hour, 16+ min ago (128+ words) Pope Leo XIV showed his sense of humor during a news conference on the papal plane heading back to Rome from Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday. He teased a journalist who is retiring about how he has to continue working and told journalists "you are not always correct" in their efforts to try to "interpret my face" during events. Pope Leo XIV showed his sense of humor during a news conference on the papal plane heading back to Rome from Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday. He teased a journalist who is retiring about how he has to continue working and told journalists "you are not always correct" in their efforts to try to "interpret my face" during events. Pope Leo XIV jokes with journalists on flight from Beirut to Rome...

8+ hour, 47+ min ago (810+ words) I took a deep breath. I said "Here we go Lord. You're in charge and you lead the way," Leo told reporters during a wide-ranging airborne press conference coming home from his inaugural trip to Turkey and Lebanon. Leo fielded questions for a half-hour, responding easily in English, Spanish and Italian about a variety of church and international news. He hinted at behind-the-scenes discussions about Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon, urged dialogue rather than U.S. military threats on Venezuela and discussed his hoped-for future travels in Africa and South America, among other topics. But it was his remarks about the conclave and his papal learning curve that shed new light on Leo the man and what makes him tick. His responses, after seeming timid with the media early in his pontificate, showed he is much more comfortable now, is paying close…...

13+ hour, 22+ min ago (1310+ words) Watch live coverage of the last day of Pope Leo XIV's trip to Lebanon. Today's live updates have ended. See what you missed below, and read more of our reporting at apnews.com. Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his first foreign trip Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of dysfunction and official impunity. During his public Mass, he called for justice to prevail, as he offered words of consolation to Lebanon's people. AP's Vatican Correspondent Nicole Winfield reports from Air Pope One while she and other journalists wait for the pope to board the flight to return to Rome. In his farewell speech at the Beirut airport at the conclusion of the first foreign trip of his pontificate Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV referenced the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon, including "Biblical…...

18+ hour, 20+ min ago (407+ words) Thousands of jubilant young Lebanese people on Monday welcomed Pope Leo XIV at his final event of the day on his visit to Lebanon. Pope Leo XIV will offer a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion as he wraps up his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Tuesday. He also will meet with relatives of some of the 218 victims of the blast on Aug. 4, 2020. The explosion tore through Beirut and did billions of dollars in damage after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. No official has been convicted in a judicial investigation that has been repeatedly obstructed, angering Lebanese for whom the blast was just the latest crisis after decades of corruption and financial crimes. When he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, Leo urged the country's political leaders to pursue…...

20+ hour, 12+ min ago (251+ words) Se esperaba que Le'n tambi'n se reuniera con familiares de algunas de las 218 personas que murieron en la explosi'n, que arras' Beirut y caus' da'os por valor de miles de millones de d'lares despu's de que cientos de toneladas de nitrato de amonio detonaran en un almac'n. Cinco a'os despu's, estas familias a'n buscan justicia. Ning'n funcionario ha sido condenado en una investigaci'n judicial que ha sido repetidamente obstruida, lo que ha enfurecido a los libaneses para quienes la explosi'n fue solo la 'ltima crisis tras d'cadas de corrupci'n y delitos financieros. Cuando lleg' a L'bano el domingo, Le'n inst' a los l'deres pol'ticos del pa's a buscar la verdad como un medio de paz y reconciliaci'n. El papa estadounidense comenz' su 'ltimo d'a con una visita al hospital De La Croix, especializado en el cuidado de personas con problemas…...

20+ hour, 33+ min ago (205+ words) Leo was also expected to meet with relatives of some of the 218 people killed by the blast, which tore through Beirut and did billions of dollars in damage after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. Five years on, these families are still seeking justice. No official has been convicted in a judicial investigation that has been repeatedly obstructed, angering Lebanese for whom the blast was just the latest crisis after decades of corruption and financial crimes. When he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, Leo urged the country's political leaders to pursue the truth as a means of peace and reconciliation. The American pope opened his final day with a visit to the De La Croix hospital, which specializes in care for people with psychological problems, and is expected to close it with a Mass along the…...

1+ day, 22+ min ago (97+ words) Pope Leo XIV offered a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion as he wraps up his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Tuesday. He also met with relatives of some of the 218 victims of the blast on Aug. 4, 2020. The explosion tore through Beirut and did billions of dollars in damage after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. (AP Video shot by Malak Harb and Fadi Tawil) Pope prays at site of 2020 Beirut port explosion on last day of Lebanon trip - AP Explains...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (114+ words) Belgian authorities are puzzled by the theft of an infant Jesus icon from a Nativity scene in Brussels. The specific version of infant Jesus is part of a nativity scene which has been at the center of a maelstrom on social media because the faces of the characters lack eyes, noses and mouths. Belgian authorities are puzzled by the theft of an infant Jesus icon from a Nativity scene in Brussels. The specific version of infant Jesus is part of a nativity scene which has been at the center of a maelstrom on social media because the faces of the characters lack eyes, noses and mouths. Brussels nativity scene faces controversy over faceless characters...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (401+ words) Snatched from his crib on the Grand Place in historic old Brussels between late Friday night or early Saturday morning, this specific version of infant Jesus is part of a nativity scene which has been at the center of a maelstrom on social media because the faces of the characters lack eyes, noses and mouths. Artist Victoria-Maria Geyer crafted the nativity figure out of cloth in hopes the faithful from Japan to Namibia would see themselves in the soft fabrics lacking any identifying features, so that "every Catholic, regardless of their background or origins can identify themselves" in the biblical story of the birth of Christ, she said. Georges-Louis Bouchez, the head of the center-right MR party, which is part of Belgium's ruling coalition, said a post on X that Geyers' cloth Christ "in no way represent the spirit of…...

1+ day, 11+ hour ago (140+ words) Pope Leo XIV received a raucous, cheering welcome from priests and nuns at the seat of the Maronite church in Lebanon on Monday. Women in the crowd ululated and others shouted, "Viva il Papa," meaning "Long live the pope," as Leo arrived at the Our Lady of Lebanon Basilica in Harissa, a town north of Beirut. AP Video shot by Trisha Thomas Pope Leo XIV received a raucous, cheering welcome from priests and nuns at the seat of the Maronite church in Lebanon on Monday. Women in the crowd ululated and others shouted, "Viva il Papa," meaning "Long live the pope," as Leo arrived at the Our Lady of Lebanon Basilica in Harissa, a town north of Beirut. AP Video shot by Trisha Thomas Ecstatic crowds greet Pope in Lebanon as he encourages Christians not to abandon region - AP Explains...