Commenting on the letter, Pope Francis said, "We must thank God, who alone guides and saves the church, for having allowed Paul VI to continue until the last day of his life to be father, pastor, master, brother and friend."

In an extraordinary response to a widening sexual abuse crisis, Chilean bishops will arrive in Rome this weekend to participate in a summit called by Pope Francis, May 14 through 17.

In Poland, the church created the space for people to breathe—physically, intellectually and spiritually.

The world's oldest standing army is getting some new headgear.

A Vatican source explained that whenever the pope is invited to such a large public event he does not see the guest list in advance nor is the list checked by Vatican officials, as they trust the organizers of these gatherings to act in a responsible way.

Pope Francis asked the bishops of Germany to continue working together to find broader consensus on guidelines for allowing a Protestant married to a Catholic to receive the Eucharist.