Pope Leo XIV is the first ever from North America and the US president has said he looks forward to meeting him.

The theft caused shockwaves in Romania, where the artefacts have ‘a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society’.

Victory Day is one of the country’s biggest secular holidays, commemorating the 27 million Russians lost in the war.

Pope Leo XIV, history’s first North American Pope, has said his election was both a cross and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel. Leo spoke off-the-cuff in English to the ...