Joshua J. McElwee

Santiago, Chile -- In a meeting with thousands of Chilean youth outside Santiago's Basilica of Our Lady of Carmen, the pope told them he wants the Oct. 3-28 Synod of Bishops to hear directly from young people and not others claiming to speak for them.

Temuco, Chile -- "Violence begets violence, destruction increases fragmentation and separation," Francis said in a homily during a Mass with 150,000 Mapuche, Rapanui, Aymara, Quechua, Atacameño, and other indigenous people gathered at Maqueue airfield.

Santiago, Chile -- Pope Francis has asked Chile's Catholic clergy to have the fortitude to ask forgiveness from those who were abused by priests, saying abuse survivors had their trust in the church betrayed and that clerics should seek to "call reality by its name."

Santiago, Chile -- Pope Francis has expressed "pain and shame" over the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in Chile, telling the country's political leaders Jan. 16 that it is right for the church to ask forgiveness. Update.

Santiago, Chile -- Pope Francis has begun a three-day visit to Chile, where he is expected to focus on helping the local Catholic community regain trust after a recent spate of clergy sexual abuse scandals.

The Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, says in a new interview that Pope Francis is asking the Catholic Church to adopt a "change of attitude" towards families and the problems they face today.

The leading Catholic clergy sexual abuse tracking website has identified nearly 80 priests in Chile that have been publicly accused of sexually abusing minors, releasing their names online just days before Pope Francis is to visit the country.

Vatican City: Pope Francis has sharply criticized global leaders who only talk about the plight of migrants and refugees "for the sake of stirring up primal fears," telling ambassadors accredited to the Vatican in an annual address Jan. 8 it is time to "abandon the familiar rhetoric." He also called for a new global debate on nuclear disarmament and asked for respect of the current status of Jerusalem.

Local observers say attention during the Jan. 15-21 papal trip may center on how Francis can help the Chilean church regain trustworthiness after a recent spate of cases of clergy sexual abuse.

Welcome to the Rome-centric version of your weekly international edition of the daily briefing, where we highlight the most recent news out of or about the Vatican.

Pope Francis again upbraided the high-level Catholic prelates who run the Vatican bureaucracy in an annual pre-Christmas speech Dec. 21, telling them to get beyond what he termed an "unbalanced and degraded logic of plots and small cliques" in order to better serve him, the global church and the world at large.

Pope Francis' commission on clergy sexual abuse is back in the news, the texts of the pope's talks with Jesuits in Myanmar and Bangladesh are released, and the Vatican unearths two lost paintings by Italian Renaissance master Raphael.

Rome -- A member of Pope Francis' commission on clergy sexual abuse has suggested that the pontiff may let the group lapse into an inactive state when the terms of office of its current membership expire Dec. 17.

Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church's missionary work in today's era must include reaching out to countries in Europe that have closed their borders to migrants and refugees, hoping to convince their people to open their hearts to those in need.

The member of Pope Francis' commission on clergy sexual abuse who was suspended nearly two years ago after publicly critiquing the pope says he will now resign his post in advance of the expiration of his term of office Dec. 17.

Rome - In an NCR interview, Arborelius also spoke about how he prioritizes listening to laypeople and why he thinks Francis may have chosen him as Sweden's first cardinal.

NCR Today: Pope Francis criticizes President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, summarizes his recent trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, and gives formal recognition to how Argentine bishops are implementing Amoris Laetitia.

Aboard the papal flight from Bangladesh - The pope said he did not publicly refer to the persecuted Rohingya to increase chances Myanmar's leaders would heed what he said in private.

Aboard the papal flight from Bangladesh - Pope Francis said it is his "convinced opinion" that the world is "at the limit of licitly having and using nuclear weapons."

Dhaka, Bangladesh - Francis met the Rohingya refugees at the end of an emotional interreligious gathering on the fifth of his six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh.