Vatican Correspondent Gerard O'Connell reports from Jerusalem.

The pope understands well that the family can be "a matrix of tragedy."

JERUSALEM -- nbsp At a time when the United States seems to have abandoned any hope of brokering a peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians under the present Administration and the rest of the world watched on helplessly Pope Francis on Sunday May 25 stepped forward with a daring new appro

Beneath the Latin Church complex or ldquo convent rdquo in the village of Smakieh Jordan may be found a set of caverns unearthed by Francisan archeologists in the early twentieth century nbsp The underground chambers date back to the Stone Age but what makes them memorable are the small red cr

AMMAN Jordan nbsp mdash nbsp On 13 June 2013 nbsp Pope Francis granted an interview to Israel rsquo s Channel 2 TV at Santa Marta the Vatican guesthouse where he lives That interview made history it was the first time that a TV crew entered Santa Marta to interview the pope What is not known

Does travel insurance cover diplomatic faux pas Let rsquo s hope the Vatican has invested in the deluxe package for Pope Francis He begins tomorrow a whirlwind visit to the Holy Land that he insists is NOT political but personal and religious so naturally his every gesture will be mdash has alrea