The traditionalist Society of St. Pius X offered to celebrate a funeral for convicted war criminal Erich Priebke after the Diocese of Rome said the service would be allowed only in a private home, but violent protests outside the chapel forced cancellation of the Mass.

The church can describe itself as “apostolic” only if it shares the Gospel with the world, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles and living out Gospel values, Pope Francis said.

The office that handles the Vatican’s investment portfolio and its real estate holdings, as well as serving as the Vatican employment office and procurement agency, has asked an international financial risk-management company to review its books and procedures.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as Vatican secretary of state drew rising criticism for failures of the Vatican bureaucracy he oversaw, stepped down Oct. 15 with a speech praising the pontificate of retired Pope Benedict XVI and stressing its continuity with that of Pope Francis.

Professing that the church is “catholic” means accepting its teachings, accepting the gifts it offers to help one grow in holiness and accepting the fact that it is composed of different people with different gifts and opinions, Pope Francis said.

With the adoption of a detailed new law on financial transparency, vigilance and information, the Vatican has almost completely revamped its finance laws in less than three years, the Vatican spokesman said.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan told a group gathered recently for the Human Life Foundation’s annual awards dinner that “being pro-life requires us to be heroes.”

Pope Francis’ recent warning against overemphasizing moral teachings against abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception means that U.S. bishops should emulate his positive approach to evangelization, not shift the priorities of their public policy agenda, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

Abortions on grounds of gender are legal in Britain, the country’s top prosecutor clarified in a letter to the government. Keir Starmer, director of public prosecutions, said in an Oct. 7 letter to Attorney General Dominic Grieve that the 1967 Abortion Act “does not … expressly prohibit gender-specific abortions.”

Catholic charities and churches across the Arlington Diocese in northern Virginia have been looking at how to lessen the impact of the government shutdown on the community.