Collins expressed shock that Mueller considered the tribunal a mere proposal. She questioned if the Vatican already had adequate means to judge negligent bishops.

Pope Francis said that European countries must not only welcome migrants but integrate them into society.

"For governments, this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level."

Author Francesca Chaouqui received a 10-month suspended sentence for conspiring to pass confidential documents onto two journalists.

Chinese officials say the country has stopped using executed prisoners as organ donors, but the international medical community remains skeptical.

A statement from the German bishops' conference "opens the possibility of receiving the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist."

The remarkable showdown is the latest example Pope Francis clashing with more conservative elements in the Catholic Church.

Sweden's small Catholic community is growing, mainly due to immigration.

Francis made the ambitious proposal in a message to mark the church's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.