World News
Pope says unified Korean team at Olympics offers hope for peace
The presence of a unified delegation and team for North and South Korea at this year's Olympic Games gives people hope for a world dedicated to peace through dialogue and respect, Pope Francis said.
Pope asks people to work together to end human trafficking
Pope Francis called for prayers to end the "shameful scourge" of human trafficking.
Homilies must help people reflect, not nap, pope says
Catholics need to read the Bible more regularly so they can better understand the Mass readings, and they need to be patient with the homilist, especially if the sermon is boring, meandering or hard to understand, he said.
Pilgrim pope: Benedict says he’s journeying toward God
In a Feb. 5, 2018, letter to a journalist from an Italian newspaper, the retired pope said he has diminished physical strength and inwardly is on a "pilgrimage to Home."
Two Mexican priests killed in ambush
UPDATED - Two priests were gunned down as they returned from Candlemas celebrations in a corner of Mexico rife with drug cartel violence and increasingly lethal for prelates.
Church helps people in Colombia move from ‘vengeance’ to reconciliation
In the complex peace process now underway in Colombia after 52 years of violent conflict, the Catholic Church works on many levels to replace a culture of violence with one of encounter.
Letter in case of Chilean bishop raises new questions
Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of Bishop Barros' mentor, Father Fernando Karadima, gave the AP a copy of an eight-page letter he wrote in 2015 to Pope Francis, graphically describing the abuse he suffered and saying that then-Father Barros was in the room watching when some of the incidents occurred.
Stop loan sharks with fair lending options, frugal lifestyles, pope says
The practice of usury -- lending money at exorbitantly high interest rates -- "humiliates and kills" just like a snake by "strangling its victims," the pope told members of an Italian association dedicated to fighting usury and loan sharking.
Pope and Erdogan discuss Jerusalem, Mideast peace
During a 50-minute meeting, the two leaders discussed the current situation in Turkey, "the condition of the Catholic community, efforts in the reception of the many refugees and the challenges linked to this," the Vatican said in a statement.
Pope supports pro-life movement, sets day of prayer for peace in Africa
With so many direct attacks on human life, from abortion to war, Pope Francis said he is worried that so few people are involved in pro-life activities.