Highlighting the plight of a seriously ill toddler in Great Britain and a severely brain-damaged man in France, Pope Francis called for greater respect for every patient's life and dignity.

There is hope "because from your cross—the fruit of greed and cowardice of many doctors of the law and hypocrites—came the resurrection," which turned darkness into eternal light and shows that Jesus' love is their hope, Pope Francis said.

The pope urged priests to be "street preachers" like Jesus.

The cardinal stepped down as archbishop in February 2013 after three priests and one former priest alleged Cardinal O'Brien had made sexual advances toward them 20 years earlier.

Hawking's avowed atheism did not keep him from engaging in dialogue and debate with the church as his work and contribution to the papal academy showed. 

Every diocese in the world still needs to have at least one trained exorcist on hand for the (rare) eventuality of an actual demonic possession, said Father Cesare Truqui.

Loudly boasting or complaining about fasting during Lent and treating others unkindly is not what God wants, Pope Francis said.

The process needs to be more transparent, Father Hans Zollner said.

The Pope called his message "Because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold."

The seven Trappists and 11 other religious men and women were killed in Algeria in the 1990s.