Carol Glatz

True compassion requires "courageous sharing," not telling people to go fend for themselves, Pope Francis said.

The recent Vatican instruction on pastoral care clarifies the responsibility of every member of the church community to work together in the shared mission of evangelization and warns against turning the parish into a mere provider of services, said Cardinal Beniamino Stella.

Pope Francis called on young people to reach out to their grandparents or the elderly who may be lonely or on their own.

Pope Francis made a surprise visit to 100 children of Vatican employees attending a summer camp on July 20, walking there alone from his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Advocates had hoped finance officials from the world's wealthiest nations would have done more to help desperately poor nations further struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virtual meeting left many debt-related issues unresolved.

Instead of one simple message, the Bible is "a library produced over a millennium with multiple and often diverging responses to very difficult situations, said Jesuit Fr. Dominik Markl, a scholar at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Decrying the unimaginable "hell" migrants experience in detention centers, Pope Francis urged all Christians to examine how they do or don't help — as Jesus commanded — the people God has placed in their path.

Human health, peace, security and progress would be better served with a complete end to the production of weapons worldwide, said members of a Vatican task force.

The Vatican's financial watchdog agency has expanded its reach of cooperation, and it plans on continuing to increase its staff to better fulfill its mandate.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met with the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to the Vatican to express concern that "possible unilateral actions" on their part would further jeopardize peace in the region.

Everyone lives a life that is often inconsistent or a "contradiction" because people can be both a sinner and a saint, a victim and a tormentor, Pope Francis said.

The Eucharist heals people of their wounds, emptiness and sadness, and gives them the strength to share Christ's loving mercy with others, Pope Francis said.

With so many people left unemployed or in a precarious position because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis launched a fund aimed specifically at helping people in Rome struggling economically in the wake of the crisis.

Pope Francis prayed for people living in countries where COVID-19 is still causing a huge number of deaths, and he cautioned people in Italy to continue to be careful and follow health precautions.

Building a healthier, better world depends on everyone, Pope Francis said in his message marking World Environment Day June 5.

St. Peter's Square was open to the public May 24, the feast of the Ascension, and scores of visitors turned up for Pope Francis' noonday prayer and blessing.

Following a request from the Vicariate of Rome, the city of Rome has called on the Italian army and the city sanitation department to sanitize all of Rome's parish churches in preparation for the resumption of public liturgies May 18.

With a number of countries in Europe slowly easing restrictions as part of a long-term strategy for containing the spread of the coronavirus, churches, too, are seeing changes in what is or will be allowed.

The Italian bishops and government have agreed on a protocol to allow the public to be present for liturgical celebrations starting May 18.

Praying for families around the world who have been restricted to their homes because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis included mention of victims of domestic violence.