US Vice President JD Vance met with senior Vatican officials amid sharp differences over the White House's crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting “an exchange of opinions” over the issue and current international conflicts.

According to a statement by the Vatican, Vance, a Catholic convert, met with the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The number of babies born in Italy dropped 2.6 per cent last year, while the number of Italians leaving the country surged, reflecting the uphill battle that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces to reverse the country’s long-running demographic decline. Just 370,000 babies were born in Italy in 2024, about 10,000 fewer than last year and well below the half a million born a decade ago, according to figures published by Italy’s national statistics agency Istat on Monday. It was the 16th consecutive year of falling births.

The Holy See Press Office issued the following medical update on Pope Francis on Saturday evening:

The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. Therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen...

One of the major battles over the ways futuristic technologies related to artificial intelligence will be policed is being fought in one of the west’s oldest cultures. The outcome may have an impact on the rest of the world. 

Belgium has a new government. All it took was seven months of negotiation — which by Belgian standards is breakneck speed. New Prime Minister Bart De Wever had previously served as mayor of Antwerp from 2013, besides leading his N-VA party for the last two decades. An experienced and formidable politician, it’s surprising it’s taken him this long to lead his country.

For the first time in U.S. history, a president-elect will welcome foreign leaders for one of the most American political traditions — the peaceful transfer of power.

President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and conservative world leaders such as Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni to the inauguration. Xi sent his vice president as his representative.

As recent events have dramatically improved GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s chances for victory in November, European leaders who criticized him in the past have gone from fretting about a possible new Trump presidency to preparing for the former president’s return to the White House. 

With a few key exceptions – Viktor Orban in Hungary and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni come to mind – leaders in the European Union have stood solidly in support of Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. 

Far-right parties rattled the traditional powers in the European Union with major gains in parliamentary seats, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron, who called snap legislative elections.

The pro-European parties at the centre command a majority, despite voters veering to the right. But Ursula von der Leyen's path to re-election is fraught with difficulties.

Around 185 million voters across 27 EU countries have had their say, and right-wing parties have seen support creep up in all corners of the continent, tilting the balance of power in the European Parliament.