Carol Glatz

South Sudan President Salva Kiir, his vice presidents and other leaders planned to attend a "spiritual retreat" together at the Vatican in early April.

Pope Francis has made it more than obvious that he does not like people kissing his ring.

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis will visit the eastern African nation of Mozambique and the island nations of Madagascar and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean Sept. 4-10.

Despite a busy schedule, Pope Francis made a surprise, early morning stop to offer a Lenten reflection for university students, encouraging them to build up their immunity against individualism with the Gospel.

Visiting Romania May 31-June 2, Pope Francis will stop at six destinations, including a popular Marian shrine in the Transylvanian region.

Signing his document dedicated to young people, faith and discernment, Pope Francis said Mary, the mother of God, is a source of inspiration and strength for everyone who seeks to understand their vocation.

The place Pope Francis chose to sign his letter to young people is an important and popular sanctuary housing the Holy House of Loreto.

Christians have faith in a God who wants to and is able to transform the world, conquering evil with good, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of an Italian missionary killed in Myanmar and seven Romanian Catholic bishops — one of whom was secretly named a cardinal by St. Paul VI — persecuted during the communist era.

The constant temptation and cancer of corruption is one of the most devastating illnesses to befall society, Pope Francis said.

The percentage of Catholics in the world has remained steady, while the number of priests has decreased for the first time in almost a decade, according to Vatican statistics.

Declaring that the Catholic Church is unafraid of history, Pope Francis announced that documents in the Vatican Secret Archives relating to the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII will be open to scholars in 2020.

Christians must not take advantage of God's forgiveness — selfishly repeating sin after sin — because God's wrath for those who refuse to change their ways is just as great as his mercy, Pope Francis said.

Italian Archbishop Luigi Ventura, 74, a Vatican diplomat who once served in Canada, Chile and western Africa, is under investigation by police in Paris for allegedly sexually assaulting a city official.

What should people expect from the four-day Vatican meeting Feb. 21-24? Five points hit the highlights.

To keep silent about the truths of the Catholic faith or to teach the contrary is a form of religious deception that comes from the anti-Christ, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller.

As part of ongoing financial reform efforts, Pope Francis updated the role and authority of the auditor general's office, calling it the Vatican's "anti-corruption authority."

A life lived selfishly, corruptly or filled with hate is a life that is useless, shrivels up and dies, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

To be indifferent to or ignore human trafficking and modern-day slavery would be to become an accomplice to those crimes, Pope Francis said.

Having considered the holiness of St. Paul VI and the influence of his ministry for the church worldwide, Pope Francis has approved putting the saint on the church's universal calendar of feast days.