Pope Francis ushered in the New Year with a renewed appeal for the faithful to reject abortion, calling for a “firm commitment” to protect and respect life from conception to natural death.

As this year comes to an end, some stories rose above the rest as the most watched, read and clicked on by our viewers.

People around the world have welcomed in 2025, with spectacular New Year's celebrations in New York and other major cities across the globe.

From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world have welcomed 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges. The New Year’s Eve ball dropped in soggy Times Square, where thousands of revellers stuck it out in heavy rain to celebrate the start of 2025 in New York City.

Donnelly says he didn’t go looking for the ambassador’s job, but he took it because President Biden asked him to.

As the world says goodbye to 2024, many will be wondering what the next year will bring. However, some prophetic figures from both past and present may be able to offer you a glimpse of what's instore.

From Sydney to Vladivostok to Mumbai, communities around the world have begun welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and exciting live performances.

Russian energy company Gazprom said it would pump a reduced volume of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday, the last day before the expiry of a deal that had kept the gas flowing throughout nearly three years of war.

While most European countries remain on frosty terms with Russia since the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a handful have retained varying degrees of positive diplomatic relations.

The pope, who turned 88 Dec. 17, mostly uses a wheelchair and presides over rather than concelebrates most public liturgies. Still, this year he had the longest trip of his papacy and opened the Holy Year 2025 on Dec.

Estonia is hosting the Taizé European Meeting until January 1 for the first time. In this divided country, the small Catholic minority, which includes Russian speakers, strives to stay united while navigating geopolitical tensions.

The year 2024 was marked by inspiring events for the Catholic Church—worldwide, such as the Synod, the reopening of Notre Dame, and the pope's trip to Corsica. We take a look back at 12 of these major dates.