We deeply admire the (very serious) work of Pope Francis, but it's been a gusty year at the Vatican and the pontiff has struggled more than once to keep hold of his hat. Here's the lighter side of the pope's year in pictures:
1. New take on the dog collar
2. Papa Smurf
3. Peekaboo
4. 'Doh'
5. Call me Kung Fu Francis
6. The flying saucer
7. 'Err... I can't see where I'm going'
8. Blowing his nose
Street preacher arrested in Watford
The backstory to St George and his flag
Artemis II astronaut who isn't religious cried seeing the cross after Moon mission
Evangelicals 'need prayers' after Church in Wales votes to make same-sex blessings permanent
Franklin Graham pushes back against Pope's war comments amid war of words with Trump
New study casts doubt on talk of religious revival in US
Vatican to install showers for the homeless in St Peter's Square
Pope to raffle gifts including panama hat, Fiat Panda and espresso machine to raise money for the poor
Pope Francis: Don't proselytise, instead heal the sick and seek the lost
Why Pope Francis won't meet the Dalai Lama
Pope Francis thanks Salvation Army for teaching him about Christian unity as a small boy
As the Church tries to make sense of AI and all the media tools at its disposal, it must ask not merely what gains attention, but what honours Christ, writes Duncan Williams.
The Church of Scotland’s General Assembly will next month consider a report detailing historic links to the transatlantic slave trade and proposals for an official institutional apology.
Left to themselves, the English are notoriously slow to make any kind of public display, so in trying to understand what’s really going on here, perhaps we should ask why people have felt moved to behave in so ‘unBritish’ a way?
Pope Leo XIV has been included in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, marking another milestone in the early months of his historic papacy.
