Cindy Wooden

Donations to the annual Peter's Pence collection, which supports the work of the Roman Curia and funds the charitable activity of the pope, were down in 2022, but the amount of money the fund distributed increased significantly thanks to the proceeds of property sales, the Vatican said.

With the help of an expert canon lawyer, Pope Francis and members of his international Council of Cardinals discussed ways that the principles behind his reform of the Roman Curia also can be reflected in the structuring and functioning of diocesan chanceries.

The mostly "silent and hidden" work of the Servants of the Paraclete, a religious order that ministers to priests and religious banned from ministry because of abuse allegations or who are experiencing other difficulties, must focus on honesty, conversion and purification, Pope Francis said.

Emphasizing the responsibility of all Catholics to ensure the church is a safe place, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is inviting public comment on a proposed set of principles that church bodies around the world must reflect in their safeguarding guidelines.

The Catholic Church has made great strides in drafting norms to protect children and other people at risk of abuse, but "we don't have a culture of accountability when it comes to the implementation of those norms," said Jesuit Fr. Hans Zollner, a leading expert in the field.

Pope Francis had a 40-minute private meeting at the Vatican with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

With a slightly quivering voice, before leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis thanked everyone who prayed for him and cared for him while he was in the hospital.

"The time has come to say an emphatic 'no' to war" and state decisively "that wars are not just," Pope Francis said in a message to the U.N. Security Council.

A week after undergoing abdominal surgery, Pope Francis' recovery is going well enough that his doctors are making plans to discharge him from Rome's Gemelli hospital, the Vatican press office said.

Shared responsibility and the exercise of authority as a service are both essential for the life and unity of the church, said members of the international Catholic-Orthodox dialogue.

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the retired archbishop of Naples, celebrated his 80th birthday June 2 and, consequently, became ineligible to enter a conclave to elect a new pope.

As first Communion season winds down and wedding fever rises, Catholic counters are busy.

Celebrating Africa Day at the Vatican, Pope Francis encouraged the continent's children to study hard, be ambassadors of peace and be friends to their peers who live in poverty or danger.

Catholics should make an "examination of conscience" about how they use social media, how they allow it to influence them and about the opportunities it provides them to share the Gospel, build community and care for others, said the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication.

While the release of the working document for the Synod of Bishops on synodality is expected sometime in early June, Pope Francis tried to respond to some of the questions and concerns about the synod process that have already been raised.

Christians should pray on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit would give them the courage and strength to share the Gospel, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis prayed that Catholics in China would be free to share the Gospel and live their faith fully.

Pope Francis formally recognized the martyrdom of an Italian priest shot by Nazi soldiers after they discovered he was helping his parishioners hide about 100 Jews.

Pope Francis has asked Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna to lead a mission "to help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine," the Vatican press office said.

A popular blog that closely monitors the Vatican has reported that Pope Francis wants to send envoys to Moscow and Kyiv to begin discussions about achieving a truce.