Pope Francis told reporters May 7 he had been kept informed about Jean Vanier's failing health and had phoned him a week before his death.

"In that Caritas center are many Christians who have learned to see with God's own eyes," Pope Francis said. "God is not worried about details but seeks out and awaits each person with a father's eyes."

The president of France and the archbishop of Paris have vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire.

Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, begging them to give peace a chance and to be worthy "fathers of the nation."

In a recent audience with children from Milan's Instituto San Carlo, Pope Francis said that God does not play favorites; it is humans who cause suffering and pain and that we must become aware of how we act toward others.

Catholic parents should vaccinate their children for the good of their children and the community said the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Pope Francis' sixth year in office, Andrea Tornielli said, "was characterized by the scourge of abuse and by suffering from internal attacks. His response was a call to return to the heart of faith."

"I invite you to live your faith with great freedom, never believing that there exists only one form of political commitment for Catholics, a Catholic party."

Lent is a good time to concentrate on fighting the urge to gossip about others and instead trying to correct one's own faults and defects.

The church rules insist that the priest provide economic support for the children, he said, but they also recognize that the duties and responsibilities of fatherhood go beyond that to include affection and education, especially in the first years of the child's life.