The church is the body of Christ, but when Catholics fight among themselves or Catholics and other Christians are in conflict with one another, they make Christ’s body suffer, Pope Francis said.

When Christians address God as “our Father” they acknowledge that God created and loves them, but they also recognize that all people are their brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said.

While church leaders repeatedly call for global aid for the poor and hungry, a Vatican official urged efforts to end another sort of hunger: the so-called “book famine.”

Syrian refugees fleeing their homeland’s civil war deserve support from the international community in the form of food, water, shelter and education, said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, of Tucson, Ariz., chairman of the board of Catholic Relief Services.

Having “Former member of the Swiss Guard” on one’s resume would be perfect for breaking into a career as a police officer or security specialist. But it turns out that being a papal protector is also a great gateway into the priesthood.

Ideologies and practices that destroy human life arise from false ideas of freedom without God, Pope Francis told a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, including thousands of pro-life activists from around the world.

Joint Catholic-Lutheran commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation must recognize the harm caused by the split in Western Christianity, the polemics that exacerbated differences and the progress made through 50 years of ecumenical dialogue, a new document said.

The goal of politics and economics is to serve all of humanity, starting with the poorest, the most vulnerable and the unborn, Pope Francis told British Prime Minister David Cameron, president of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.

With the body of the recently beatified Italian martyr Odoardo Focherini consumed by the fires of a concentration camp’s crematorium, his home Diocese of Carpi needed to find an alternative relic. They chose his wedding ring.

Christians are called to be revolutionaries, changing the world one heart at a time, Pope Francis said. “A Christian who is not a revolutionary today isn’t a Christian,” the pope said June 17 during a conference that quickly turned into a rally for evangelization and care of the poor.