During the discussion, Elder Picard emphasized that the Church's progress varies by region. In western Europe, the Church is well-established, with stakes, temples and several missions.

This fear of a weakening of the Church’s cohesion and identity is shared by Vatican analyst Andrea Gagliarducci, author of Cristo speranza dell’Europa. 50 anni della Chiesa europea tra passato ...

Basilica Of St. Paul Outside The Walls, Italy You can't tour Europe's greatest cathedrals without stopping in Rome, the center of Catholicism and home to the world's oldest, grandest cathedrals.

But that is changing. In the 2010s over 40% of new basilicas were outside Europe; in the past five years that has grown to 62% (see chart 2). Rome remains the centre of power in the church.

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church is once again in a period of prayer, secrecy and decision as 133 cardinals from around the world began the process Wednesday to select the next pope.

Pope Francis sought to make the church more welcoming, global and collegial, after his predecessors adopted more doctrinaire and traditional approaches. By Jason Horowitz The cardinals who will ...

Only about half a million people live in Malta, the tiny set of islands in the Mediterranean that make up one of Europe’s smallest countries. Yet a Maltese citizen could soon be elected pope ...