Catholic News Service

Pope Francis told Italian schoolchildren that he grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, "the most beautiful city in the world," and that besides playing soccer, he loved to fly kites as a child.

Spain has announced it will let a ship holding 629 migrants and refugees, who were rescued from the Mediterranean, dock on its shores, after Italy and Malta refused to accept the vessel.

Leading thousands of people in prayer, Pope Francis said he hoped the upcoming summit between the United States and North Korea would lead to lasting peace.

The world needs a new kind of leadership that believes in building up the whole human family and protecting the environment, Pope Francis told a group of energy and oil executives and global investors.

A Vatican court indicted Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, and ordered him to stand trial beginning June 22 on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.A Vatican court indicted Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, and ordered him to stand trial beginning June 22 on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.

If Pope Francis ever plans an apostolic trip to space, he's all set after receiving a custom-made blue flight suit with patches of the Argentine flag, his papal coat of arms and a pair of angel wings with his crew name, Jorge M. Bergoglio.

"When Jesus wants to teach us how a Christian should be, he tells us very little," the pope said, but he shows people by feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger.

"My dream is that from this crisis, we are able to learn and renew the church, I want the laity in Chile to help to make a new, better church."

Laws requiring Catholic priests to break the seal of confession in some cases passed the Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly in Canberra June 7.

The public comment period on the Protect Life Rule, a proposed revision to Title X regulations to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion-related services, opened June 1 and will close July 31.

None of the stories were pretty. The three panelists at a Tucson workshop on "Perspectives on Border Life" told stories from three perspectives during a workshop held June 1, the last day of CLINIC's annual meeting.

The bishop of Toledo said of a recent immigration raid that "no matter our political persuasion, when families are broken apart, as in this raid, we should all recognize that the common good is not served."

Fr. Rey Urmeneta, a Catholic priest who once served as chaplain of the Philippine National Police, was wounded after a gun attack June 6 in Calamba City, about 25 miles from Manila.

People who receive and give the sign of peace "should be men and women of peace" and not ruin "the peace made by the Holy Spirit with your tongue," the pope said during his general audience.

President Michael Higgins of Ireland described the treatment of women and children in state-controlled institutions managed by the Catholic Church as a "deep stain on Ireland's past."

Pope Francis sent condolences to Guatemala after a horrific volcanic eruption buried entire towns in a thick blanket of ash and debris, causing hundreds to flee toxic fumes and killing nearly 70.

At a conference sponsored by the Catholic Women's Forum and the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, panelists offered their "second thoughts" on the consequences of the sexual revolution.

The U.S. Supreme Court June 4 threw out a lower court's ruling that allowed a 17-year-old last year to obtain an abortion while she was in a detention center after an illegal border crossing.

In a 7-2 decision June 4, the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker in a case that put anti-discrimination laws up against freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression.

Vatican officials have denied protecting the founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based religious movement, who is accused of sexual, physical and psychological abuse of minors and young adults.