Junno Arocho Esteves

The image of baby Jesus nestled in the manger is a much-needed reminder during the pandemic that God gives the world the gift of hope in troubled times, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis sought the intercession of the first Indigenous saint of the Americas as COVID-19 continued to devastate many Latin American countries.

Praying to God in times of joy and sorrow is a natural, human thing to do because it connects men and women to their father in heaven, Pope Francis said.

Addressing pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on the feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8, the pope said the grace "to be totally free from sin" is a gift from God and the "fullness of holiness" given to Mary from the beginning.

While sin may distort and disfigure the image of Christ that every person bears, it does not completely erase it, nor does it remove people from God's abundant mercy, Pope Francis said.

Guaranteeing justice for all men and women is not possible while a few people control most of the world's wealth and everyone else's right to a dignified life is disregarded, Pope Francis said.

The presence of Latin Americans around the world has enriched the Catholic Church with a renewed zeal for the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

Msgr. Enrico Radice, the former rector of a minor seminary located in the Vatican, denied knowing about the alleged sexual abuse of a student, but instead alleged that the victim and his friend, who claimed he witnessed the abuse, were motivated by money.

Pope Francis' teaching on the "just war" theory is a crucial point of reflection in today's world where the historic motives to morally justify aggression and violence are often misused, said Cardinal Michael Czerny, undersecretary for the Vatican's Migrants and Refugees Section.

The bishops of Peru have launched an initiative not only to confront the challenges facing the country due to the coronavirus pandemic but also to confront the pandemics of corruption, indifference and exclusion plaguing the country, said Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Huancayo.

The recent conviction of a former Salvadoran colonel for the murder of five Spanish Jesuit priests during the civil war in El Salvador is a major step forward on the path of gaining justice and healing old wounds, Cardinal Michael Czerny said.

The U.N. migration agency renewed its call for increased search and rescue efforts after another tragic shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea claimed the lives of 74 migrant men, women and children.

As the consistory to create 13 new cardinals approached, the coronavirus pandemic forced two cardinals-designate to cancel their trips to Rome while one was placed in quarantine upon arrival.

After the Vatican released its extensive report on Theodore E. McCarrick, Pope Francis renewed the Catholic Church's pledge to uproot the scourge of sexual abuse.

 The Knights of Malta have elected Fra' Marco Luzzago, a native of Brescia, Italy, and a member of the order since 1975, as its interim head.

Vigano, who served as apostolic nuncio to the United States from 2011 to 2016, published his testimony in August 2018 calling on Pope Francis to resign, claiming the pope knew about McCarrick's sexual misconduct and yet eased restrictions on McCarrick's ministry and travel.

Questions have been raised about how the church should determine whether a lay movement should be reformed or dissolved when there is abuse or corruption.

After the surprise resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu in October, Pope Francis named Cardinal-designate Silvano Tomasi as his special delegate to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Students and faculty at Rome's Pontifical North American College are under quarantine after several students tested positive for COVID-19.

Corruption is an "ancient evil" that continues to plague the Catholic Church in different ways, Pope Francis said.