Sylvia Poggioli

Pope Francis blames climate change on apathy, political shortsightedness and a pursuit of profits. In a papal encyclical, he calls climate change one of the principal challenges facing humanity today.

A draft of Pope Francis' encyclical on climate climate change was leaked Wednesday before its scheduled release.

On Thursday, the Vatican releases Pope Francis' document on the environment and poverty. He has said he believes global warming is a moral, and man-made, issue — angering climate change skeptics.

Italy, a leading destination for migrants, says it wants to help save them but doesn't want to keep all of them. Meanwhile, some EU countries are closing their borders to migrants.

For the next six months, Italy is hosting a dinner party — and the entire world is invited to attend.

The event, called Expo Milano 2015, is the latest World's Fair. This year's theme is "feeding the planet, energy for life." The global population is projected to pass 9 ...

Italy holds regional elections on Sunday. Trying to make a comeback is scandal-plagued former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. When he joined Instagram, he posted more than 60 photos his first day.

Blockbusters like Ben-Hur were filmed at Cinecittà, a 100-acre movie metropolis, during its heyday. After decades of hard times, a tax credit has sparked a revival of "Hollywood on the Tiber."

The European Union is planning to propose to its 28-member nations a quota on migrants entering Europe. It also is seeking military action against people smuggling migrants out of Libya.

In just four days, some 7,000 migrants on dozens of flimsy vessels were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. Italian authorities are scrambling to find shelters for them.

Pope Francis wants world leaders to work together to enact laws that will slow or stop emissions that fuel climate change. He is expected to deliver a papal encyclical in June highlig...

At a charity center in Sicily, survivors of the dangerous sea crossings from Libya to Italy face legal and economic limbo and a frosty welcome. But it's still better than the places they fled.

A ship carrying nearly 450 migrants docked at the Italian port of Augusta Wednesday. The International Organization for Migration says many migrants are families fleeing the conflict in Syria.

Italy is considering targeted interventions against smugglers as the toll of those dying in the Mediterranean continues to rise. The weekend shipwreck off the Libyan coast may have claimed 800 lives.

Authorities have arrested two alleged smugglers who might be responsible for the deaths. Nearly 2,000 migrants have perished in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.

Hundreds of migrants are believed dead after a smugglers' boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off the Libyan coast. Pressure is growing on EU leaders to prevent such tragedies.

The Vatican took over the Leadership Conference of Women Religious three years ago claiming the group undermined Catholic teaching while promoting "certain radical feminist themes."

The pope continues his theme of outspoken criticism against the complicity of silence of today's world community against the persecution of Christians and other minorities by Islamic extremists.

One neighborhood is creating a "zone of tolerance" to confine prostitutes to certain areas. The community likes it and says it had to act because Italian society has failed to address the issue.

When the College of Cardinals elected the new head of the Roman Catholic Church two years ago, Pope Francis was given the mandate to put the Vatican's dysfunctional administration in order.

As the papacy's enters its third year, some of the biggest reforms have been achieved in the Vatican's finances, ...