Despite the perks and high living they may bring, bribery, corruption and dishonest work are serious sins that rob people and their children of their dignity, Pope Francis said.

For the first time, the bones traditionally believed to be the relics of St. Peter the Apostle will be on public display for veneration.

Members of a marriage tribunal, including the official responsible for defending the bond of marriage, must aim to provide justice but also pastoral care to the couples involved, Pope Francis said.

After private meetings with prefects of Vatican congregations and presidents of pontifical councils in late October, six Catholic women philanthropists came away hopeful and encouraged, because they felt an openness to including more women in advisory and other roles in the Catholic Church.

God has a certain weak spot of love for those who are lost or have strayed furthest from him; they are the ones he goes out to find, Pope Francis said.

Three years ago, Aida Miranda found herself alone and pregnant in the Argentine capital. The young Paraguayan Catholic woman was so desperate that she began to consider abortion, which is illegal in Argentina.

Archbishop Fouad Twal, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, condemned the government demolition of a home on church-owned property and said the church would take legal action to “bring back justice and rebuild this home.”

The retired head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation said some media portrayals of Pope Francis risk making him appear as a sign of division in the church.

By legalizing same-sex marriage, Illinois lawmakers have changed the definition of marriage and undermined “an institution that is the cornerstone of a healthy society,” the Catholic Conference of Illinois said Nov. 5, the day the Illinois House passed a state Senate bill allowing same-sex marriage.

In 1975, Msgr. Joseph Hirsch spent a month living in Lima’s slums as he backpacked through South America. Now he’s back in Peru, working to prove a man he met that year is a saint.