Pope Leo XIV has closed St Peter's Basilica's Holy Door, capping the church's Holy Year by urging the faithful to be kind to foreigners and help those in need.
Joshua McElwee
Pope Leo XIV has opened the new year with a plea for peace in places "bloodied by conflict" and families affected by violence.
Staff Writers
Respectful revellers have welcomed the new year at largely trouble-free celebrations across the nation, as a highly visible police presence deterred violence.
Robyn Wuth
People all over the world are ringing in the new year with traditions old and new.
Hong Kong will celebrate the arrival of 2026 without fireworks over Victoria Harbour after a massive fire in November killed more than 160 people.
Kanis Leung
New Year's Eve revellers have had a moment of silent reflection for the Bondi victims before enjoying brilliant firework displays across the county.
Tara Cosoleto and Alex Mitchell
Partying in Sydney on New Year's Eve is an opportunity for people to thumb their noses at terrorists, says the premier in the wake of the attack at Bondi.
Kat Wong
After the crystal ball drops on New Year's Eve in New York, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue to mark the US' 250th anniversary in 2026.
Susan Haigh
A gentle embrace at a moment of sheer despair has given Rabbi David Freilich hope that Perth’s Jewish community is not grieving alone.
Jessica Page
Perth’s most senior Catholic says he is very distressed but sadly not surprised by the apparent rise in anti-Semitism, including in WA, describing it as the signs of a fraying society.
Rebecca Le May and Tahnee Graham
The North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking Santa's Christmas voyage as he takes off from his home base at the North Pole for 70 years.
Keith Coffman
Sydney's world famous New Year's Eve fireworks will follow a message of peace and a minute's silence to honour the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Lloyd Jones
All of the world's Catholic cardinals have been summoned to Rome for a consistory as Pope Leo XIV seeks their advice to governing the church.
WA religious leaders share a message of hope, peace and wisdom as tens of thousands across the State prepare to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.
Pope Leo has hit out at leaders who "drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence in the name of religion".
Pope Leo XIV has embraced a Roman tradition by praying for peace at the statue of the Madonna near the Spanish Steps
NICOLE WINFIELD
A high-level Vatican commission has found historical research and theological investigation dictates women should not be allowed to become Catholic deacons.
Pope Leo has paid his respects to the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, offering a silent prayer at the site on the last day of his trip to Lebanon.
Nicole Winfield, Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue
Pope Leo is near the end of his first overseas trip as pontiff, visiting Turkey and Lebanon, where he has championed the advancement of religious unity.
Pope Leo XIV has begun the second day of his trip to Turkey with a visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque in a gesture of respect to the country's Muslim majority.
Nicole Winfield
Pope Leo XIV has touched down in Turkey on his first overseas trip, where he will mark an important anniversary and bring a message of peace to the region.
The Vatican's top doctrinal office says it cannot endorse claims that Jesus appeared in a French town as credible.
Patrick Holmes committed 23 sex crimes against nine children when he was the priest at Holy Name Church in Carlisle and Saint Aloysius Church in Shenton Park from the 1960s through to the 1980s.
Rebecca Le May
The pioneering Kiwi band Split Enz will take centre stage as the iconic Byron Bay Bluesfest is resurrected for Easter 2026.
