Discover why Vatican City, the heart of the Catholic Church, remains an independent city-state entirely surrounded by Rome.

Pope Leo XIV held his first general audience, a regular weekly gathering he is expected to hold for the rest of his papacy. Following several busy weeks that included the funeral for ...

The Vatican doesn’t tax its residents or issue bonds, and it's got a very big budget problem. It primarily finances the ...

Italy, which surrounds Vatican City, the spiritual home to the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, boasts more than 30,000 churches and sanctuaries, according to the country's Ministry of Culture.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The world's smallest country ... The Vatican has 4,249 properties in Italy and 1,200 more in London, Paris, Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland. Only about one-fifth are rented ...

Think Naples is just a place to grab a ferry to Capri or gorge on pizza? Think again. This vibrant Mediterranean port has ...

After entering the Vatican, overall race leader Simon Yates and leaders of the other classifications got off their bikes and walked forward to shake hands with the pope, who was presented with a r ...

Pilgrims coming to Rome will have the opportunity to see the newly restored tomb of one of the first Catholic popes.

The Vatican has said it was the best deal it could get and has been renewed periodically since then. One of the big foreign policy questions facing Pope Leo, history's first American pope ...

Donation Options Search Search Search Pope Leo XIV leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Wednesday. Gregorio Borgia/AP Share VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV ...

Top row, from left: Lucio Aleman Jr., Teresa Antoinette Alexander, Richard A. Allen, Ted L. Allen, Baylee Almon, Diane (Hollingsworth) Althouse, Rebecca Needham ...

Vatican City covers just 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers) and has a population of a few hundred people. It became an independent state in 1929 under a treaty between Italy and the Holy See.