Frances D'Emilio

Pope Francis on Sunday decried the genital mutilation of millions of girls and the trafficking of women for sex, including openly on city streets, so others can make money off of them.

Pope Francis issued a plea on behalf of prison inmates, saying they should never be deprived of hope and always be given the opportunity to redeem themselves.

Pope Francis decried societies which rush indifferently past the poor, often judging them instead of helping them.

Tackling global warming requires 'wisdom, foresight and concern for common good ... fundamental virtues of good politics,' Pope Francis says.

The Francis Chronicles: Two weeks after surgery that removed a portion of his colon, Pope Francis on July 18 resumed his weekly appearances from a Vatican window to bless the faithful in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis on July 11 made his first public appearance since major intestinal surgery last week, greeting well-wishers as he stood for 10 minutes on a hospital balcony, offering hearty thanks for the prayers for his recovery and calling health care for all a "precious" good.

Pope Francis went Sunday, July 4, to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery for a stenosis, or restriction, of the large intestine, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis on June 28 voiced affection for the American people as he met at length with the U.S. secretary of state, the Vatican said, without indicating whether the two discussed the sharp divide among U.S. bishops over giving Holy Communion to politicians supporting abortion rights like President Joe Biden.

Robert Schuman, a French statesman who paved the way for the bloc that eventually evolved into European Union, has moved ahead on the Catholic Church's path toward possible sainthood.

Pope Francis on June 6 expressed pain over the discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 Indigenous students of church-run residential schools, but didn't offer the apology sought by the Canadian prime minister. 

A magistrate slain by mobsters in Sicily and praised by two popes has been beatified by the Roman Catholic church on May 9 in the last formal step before possible sainthood. 

Rescue groups and the Vatican are decrying the latest deaths of migrants who put to sea in traffickers' unseaworthy boats, amid laments that Mediterranean nations are choosing not to dispatch vessels to save them.

Pope Francis on Dec. 8 made a surprise early morning visit to the Spanish Steps in Rome to pray for people worldwide struggling in the pandemic. 

Pope Francis is next month set to make what would be his first visit outside Rome since Italy was put under lockdown in early March when it became the first country in Europe to feel the full brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.

Actress Juliette Binoche and fellow French environmentalists received encouragement from Pope Francis at a private Vatican meeting Thursday, where the pontiff confessed he did not understand more than a decade ago his fellow churchmens' worries about the Amazon.

While millions of people took advantage of easing coronavirus lockdowns to enjoy the outdoors, some of the world's most populous countries reported worrisome new peaks in infections May 3, including India, which saw its biggest single-day jump yet.

Meeting with friends, dining out, worshiping and other daily routines have nearly halted as nations take drastic steps to try to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy took a page from China's playbook Sunday, attempting to lock down 16 million people — more than a quarter of its population — for nearly a month to halt the relentless march of the new coronavirus across Europe.