17+ hour, 44+ min ago (708+ words) By Christopher Lamb, Issy Ronald, CNN Istanbul (CNN) " Pope Leo XIV has made his first visit to a mosque since his election, and while he removed his shoes as a sign of respect, he did not appear to pray. On Saturday, Leo went to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, a 17th-century place of worship considered an Ottoman-era architectural masterpiece, with turquoise ceramic tiles adorning its walls and dome. Leo, accompanied by local Muslim leaders, walked through the mosque's courtyard and, after taking off his shoes, was shown around the interior in his white socks. The first American pope, who is a keen Chicago White Sox baseball fan, recently joked that he always wears "white socks." A'g'n Tunca, a Muezzin, said Leo had been invited to pray during his visit. A Muezzin is an official who calls Muslims to prayer and…...

3+ day, 23+ hour ago (1359+ words) Rome (CNN) " Pope Leo XIV begins a six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon on Thursday, his first foreign trip since his election and one on which he's expected to emphasize key themes of his fledgling pontificate " among them dialogue and unity. Overseas trips are an important part of the papacy's "soft power," offering an opportunity for the pope to meet political leaders of his host country, address the local Catholic community and focus international media attention on regional issues. By going to Lebanon, Leo is flying into the heart of a conflict-ridden Middle East, and he is due in Beirut just days after Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital. For Leo, the visit can give added weight to his appeals for harmony and dialogue in the Middle East, echoing the first words he uttered after his election: "Peace be with…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (1407+ words) (CNN) " Here is a look at the life of his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, Buddhist spiritual leader of the people of Tibet. Birth date: July 6, 1935 Birth place: Taktser, Amdo, Eastern Tibet Birth name: Lhamo Dhondup The Dalai Lamas are considered the manifestations of the Bodhisattva (Buddha) of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the people. This Dalai Lama, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatsois, is the 74th manifestation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, the enlightened Buddha of compassion. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yeshe Norbu, the Wishfulfilling Gem, or simply Kundun " The Presence. Has traveled to numerous countries with a message of religious and cultural tolerance and peace. Awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Nominated for one Grammy award. 1938 " Is taken from his family in Taktser to the Kumbum monastery after a delegation of monks looking for the new Dalai…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (972+ words) By Julia Buckley, CNN Caltanissetta, Sicily (CNN) " The countdown to the holidays has begun. Christmas markets, mulled wine, ice skating " around the world, on every continent, people are starting to gear up to get into the festive spirit. But one Sicilian town is already focusing on what comes next: Easter. Caltanissetta, dead in the center of the Mediterranean's largest island, is renowned across Italy for its Easter celebrations and parades. The Easter traditions " which are still so deeply felt that Caltanissetta emigr's return each year to celebrate in their thousands " date back centuries. The most spectacular takes place every Maundy Thursday, with the procession of the vare: lifesize tableaus of scenes from the Via Crucis, which are wheeled around the city from the moment the sun goes down till the early hours of the morning. The vare scenes were made…...

3+ week, 13+ hour ago (275+ words) By Christopher Lamb, CNN (CNN) " Pope Leo XIV spent almost three hours on Saturday with 15 victims of clerical sexual abuse from Belgium. The Holy See Press Office described the pope's meeting with the survivors, each of whom was abused by a member of the clergy as a minor, as "profound and painful." The office said the meeting took place "in a spirit of closeness, listening & dialogue." The Belgian Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of devastating clerical abuse scandals in recent years, which Pope Francis confronted directly during a visit to Belgium last year, spending more than two hours with survivors. During that visit, then Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo urged Francis in unusually frank terms to take concrete action. The appalling revelations of clerical sexual abuse in Belgium over the past 30 years include the case of…...

3+ week, 23+ hour ago (761+ words) By Christopher Lamb, CNN (CNN) " Pope Leo XIV, who on Saturday marked six months since his election, has in recent weeks stepped up his criticism of the Trump administration while bringing a distinctively American flavor to the papacy. The Chicago-born pontiff was elected on May 8, becoming the first US-born pope in the Catholic Church's history. After a cautious start, Leo has now begun to find his voice and on Tuesday called for a "deep reflection" on what has been happening to immigrants in the United States over recent months under President Donald Trump. "Many people who have lived for years, and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what's going on right now," he told reporters outside the papal retreat of Castel Gandolfo. It's not the first time Leo has spoken on this topic. He has…...

4+ week, 7+ hour ago (447+ words) By Dalia Faheid, CNN (CNN) " A Catholic diocese in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has condemned Holocaust imagery that appeared on a Catholic school's Halloween parade float on Thursday. The St. Joseph Catholic School's float at a community Halloween parade included a replica of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate bearing the words "Arbeit Macht Frei." The German phrase translates to "Work sets you free," according to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum website. The motto is one of the symbols of the camp, and was used to greet people arriving at other concentration camps in Germany, according to the website. The slogan above the Auschwitz Concentration Camp gate was made by prisoners, who deliberately reversed the letter B as "a camouflaged mark of disobedience," the website says. The school in Hanover, Pennsylvania, is part of the Diocese of Harrisburg, which called the imagery "a notorious…...