The crying of Baby Jesus is not the only cry people should hear on Christmas, the pope said.

The apostolic visitation of U.S. communities of religious women, though initially met with some resistance, ended up promoting a greater sense of unity in the church and helped the women become more aware of how God is working in their lives, said the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Co

A massive, detailed Vatican-ordered investigation of U.S. communities of women religious ended with a call to the women themselves to continue discerning how best to live the Gospel in fidelity to their orders' founding ideals while facing steeply declining numbers and a rapidly aging membership

Not "a clash between factions, but of a debate among bishops."

The 77-year-old grandson of European immigrants to Argentina, Pope Francis urged the European Parliament to value the continent's faiths and recuperate a sense of responsibility for the common good to rejuvenate Europe's social, political and economic life."In many quarters we encounter

And don't just expand welfare, handouts

Pope Francis condemned the "unacceptable episodes of violence" in Jerusalem, episodes that "do not spare even places of worship," after an attack in a synagogue left four worshippers, a policeman and the two attackers dead.At the end of his general audience Nov. 19, the day after

Migrants are among the poorest, most vulnerable people in the world, and a church committed to defending strong families must be particularly engaged in assisting migrant couples and their children, a U.S. bishop told a Vatican conference."Across the globe, 175 million migrants seek safety and

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pope Francis said the sudden end to the division of Europe was prepared by the prayers and sacrifice of many people, including St. John Paul II.After reciting the Angelus prayer Nov. 9 with visitors in St. Peter's Square, Pope Fr

Pope Francis pleaded for the international community to take stronger, coordinated steps to "annihilate" the Ebola virus and help the millions of people impacted by the disease."As the Ebola virus epidemic worsens, I want to express my deep concern for this relentless illness that is