Cindy Wooden

Continuing his occasional series of "Mercy Friday" visits, Pope Francis surprised the students at a school renamed in March in honor of a student who died of leukemia at the age of 11.

Christians should begin each day invoking the Holy Spirit, praying that the Spirit will lead them and the church closer to God and closer to any person in need, Pope Francis said on Pentecost.

Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, a longtime Vatican official, died early May 18 in Rome at the age of 88.

Blessed Paul VI had written to the dean of the College of Cardinals saying if he become seriously ill or impeded from exercising his ministry, top cardinals in Rome should accept his resignation.

In the process of identifying the "spiritual illnesses" of the diocese, the pope said, the priests and parish leaders made it clear that they are tired of being content with what they have been doing for years.

The Vatican has accused a former director of the Vatican bank and his lawyer of money laundering and embezzlement, saying the men took an estimated 57 million euros (about $68 million).

The baptismal font is a tomb in which a person dies to sin, and it is a womb through which a person is born to new life in Christ, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis added a reference to the office's responsibility for promoting a deeper reflection on the role of women in the church and society to the statutes of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

The devil "seduces us; he knows how to appeal to our vanity and curiosity and we buy it all," the pope said May 8.

In his writings on faith and politics, retired Pope Benedict XVI insisted that humans are free to the extent to which they acknowledge being dependent on the love of God, Pope Francis wrote.

Love is not all hearts and flowers or what is presented in a sappy romantic film, Pope Francis said. "Love is something else. Love is taking responsibility for others."

The changes in canon law Pope Francis made related to marriage annulment cases require some changes in the way church law is taught, said the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre was elected the 80th grand master of the Knights of Malta May 2 and promised to continue the reform of the order begun last year when he was elected its interim head.

Pope Francis visited Rome's popular Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love to pray the rosary for peace, especially in Syria.

Six German bishops will meet with officials from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts to discuss German plans to allow greater access to the Eucharist for Protestants married to Catholics.

Love is a miraculous force that helps the parents of sick children focus on the beauty of their children's lives and keeps the flame of hope for a cure alive, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals have reviewed a complete draft of the apostolic constitution that would govern the Roman Curia, the Vatican spokesman said.

Ordaining 16 men to the priesthood, Pope Francis urged them to be merciful with the people who approach them, especially in the confessional.

Pope Francis has asked the president of the German bishops' conference to come to Rome to discuss pastoral guidelines for possibly allowing some non-Catholics married to Catholics to receive the Eucharist, the conference spokesman said.

After circling a massive, crumbling public housing complex on the outskirts of Rome, Pope Francis had an emotional encounter with the neighborhood's children.