Jesus does not need an army to fight evil in the world; he uses the victorious weapons of love and humility, Pope Francis said.

On the evening of Sept. 7, days before U.S. lawmakers vote on President Barack Obama’s proposal for a military attack on Syria, Pope Francis will lead thousands in St. Peter’s Square in a prayer vigil for peace.

Pope Francis has called on the Church to enter into a day of fasting and penance for peace in Syria this Saturday September 7. Here is his message:

On the eve of the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Pope Francis called the late-fellow Jesuit and biblical scholar, a “prophetic” figure and a “man of discernment and peace.”

As speculation mounted about Western air strikes on Syria, a committee of U.S. bishops called for a political solution, and Catholic leaders in Europe warned military intervention could lead to an escalation of hostilities.

A Legionary priest who led a major overhaul of the Vatican’s telecommunications infrastructure and set up public email addresses for two popes has been named the new secretary-general of the office governing Vatican City.

Zambian Cardinal Medardo Mazombwe, retired archbishop of Lusaka and a longtime campaigner for foreign-debt reduction, died Aug. 29. He was 81.

Two weeks after the churches he used to pray in were ransacked and burned to the ground in the Egyptian port city of Suez, Istafanos Youssif sat “searching for God” in a Cairo convent.

A priest who died of cold and hunger in a communist prison will be beatified as a martyr in Romania.

As part of the Year of Faith, the Vatican wants to celebrate bonds that last a lifetime. The international pilgrimage of families Oct. 26-27 is being planned as a celebration and not a protest against any policy or trend, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.