Carol Glatz

Church services and Mass online cannot compare to or replace the in-person participation of the faithful, the head of the Vatican's office for divine worship told the world's bishops.

Twenty-six weeks after his last weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis will resume his audiences with the public present, but in a Vatican courtyard.

Christians cannot stand idly by and watch as millions of people are deprived of their basic needs because of others' greed, Pope Francis said.

Church teaching on giving priority to the well-being of the poor and marginalized is not a political or ideological choice; it lies at the very heart of the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

Those who take time to understand Jesus will find he loves them and wants what is best for them, Pope Francis said.

Taking time out each day to be thankful for God and his gifts will lead to greater joy and mark a great step forward for humanity, Pope Francis said.

For peace to flourish, weapons of war must be set aside, especially nuclear weapons that can obliterate entire cities and countries, Pope Francis said on the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Changing the words of the formula for baptism renders the sacrament invalid, said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social and environmental crises worldwide, Pope Francis announced he would begin a new series of general audience talks aimed at helping build "the future that we need."

Pope Francis has named a U.S.-based executive from Spain to be general secretary of the Secretariat for the Economy.

True compassion requires "courageous sharing," not telling people to go fend for themselves, Pope Francis said.

The recent Vatican instruction on pastoral care clarifies the responsibility of every member of the church community to work together in the shared mission of evangelization and warns against turning the parish into a mere provider of services, said Cardinal Beniamino Stella.

Pope Francis called on young people to reach out to their grandparents or the elderly who may be lonely or on their own.

Pope Francis made a surprise visit to 100 children of Vatican employees attending a summer camp on July 20, walking there alone from his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Advocates had hoped finance officials from the world's wealthiest nations would have done more to help desperately poor nations further struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virtual meeting left many debt-related issues unresolved.

Instead of one simple message, the Bible is "a library produced over a millennium with multiple and often diverging responses to very difficult situations, said Jesuit Fr. Dominik Markl, a scholar at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Decrying the unimaginable "hell" migrants experience in detention centers, Pope Francis urged all Christians to examine how they do or don't help — as Jesus commanded — the people God has placed in their path.

Human health, peace, security and progress would be better served with a complete end to the production of weapons worldwide, said members of a Vatican task force.

The Vatican's financial watchdog agency has expanded its reach of cooperation, and it plans on continuing to increase its staff to better fulfill its mandate.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met with the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to the Vatican to express concern that "possible unilateral actions" on their part would further jeopardize peace in the region.