Conservationists at Vatican conference call for protecting biodiversity

VATICAN CITY — People's attitudes toward nature as well as their economic systems and consumption habits need to radically change in order to protect biodiversity on the planet and promote a more sustainable and caring world, said participants at a Vatican-sponsored conference.
Not ruling on apparitions, pope allows pilgrimages to Medjugorje

VATICAN CITY — Parishes and dioceses are now allowed to organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, but it must be clear that the Catholic Church has not recognized as authentic the alleged Marian apparitions there.
Pope discusses deaconesses, need for nuns to be servants not 'maids'

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis told the heads of women's religious orders from around the world they need to send sisters on assignments that truly serve the church and those in need, and not agree to requests for "maids."
WATCH: Pope issues new norms on mandatory abuse reporting, bishop accountability

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable in protecting minors as well as in protecting members of religious orders and seminarians from abuse.
Pope draws lessons from Mother Teresa in city of her birth

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Pope Francis went to the tiny Balkan nation of North Macedonia to pay tribute to a tiny saint who accomplished big things: St. Teresa of Kolkata.
Roses and the cross: Pope meets refugees in Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Twelve boys and girls wearing white T-shirts and dark pants sang for Pope Francis at a refugee center on the outskirts of Sofia.
Holy boldness: Profile of women religious rising at Vatican

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican can move at a snail's pace but looking back over the past six years, the profile of women, especially women religious, at Vatican events has risen sharply.
Respect rights of indigenous people, culture, pope tells mining industry

VATICAN CITY — A "fallacious" economic model that exploits the earth's resources while disregarding the rights and cultures of indigenous people has left the planet in a precarious condition and requires a change of heart that places the common good before financial gain, Pope Francis said.
Word of God must be 'beating heart' of church, pope says

VATICAN CITY — Reading the Bible and praying with it is "the best vaccine" against Catholic communities closing in on themselves or focusing only on self-preservation, Pope Francis said.
Pope to touch sensitive issues of ecumenism, migration

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will head to the Eastern periphery of Europe May 5-7, visiting Bulgaria and North Macedonia, both predominantly Orthodox countries with a small, but active Catholic minority.
Jesus replaced law of revenge with law of love, pope says

VATICAN CITY — The scales of justice cannot solve everything, especially when it comes to stopping a cycle of evil vengeance, Pope Francis said.
At Easter the stones of sin, despair, are rolled away, pope says at vigil

VATICAN CITY — As individuals and as a church, it can be tempting to dwell on mistakes, failures and sins that block the fullness of life, but Easter is the proclamation that the Lord is victorious and his love will triumph, Pope Francis said.
On Good Friday, papal preacher says cross brings hope to the oppressed

VATICAN CITY — The cross serves as a warning to the powerful and a message of hope for the poor and oppressed, said the preacher of the papal household.
Embrace the cross, trust God will triumph, pope says on Palm Sunday

VATICAN CITY — Acclaimed by the crowds and knowing he was the Messiah they sought, Jesus still chose the path of humility and self-emptying, focused only on doing God's will, Pope Francis said on Palm Sunday.
Retired pope publishes reflection on abuse crisis

VATICAN CITY — Retired Pope Benedict XVI, acknowledging his role in helping the Catholic Church come to terms with the clerical sexual abuse crisis beginning in the 1980s, wrote an article outlining his thoughts about what must be done now.
Pope urges students to see human actions behind suffering, war

VATICAN CITY— God does not play favorites, but human beings do in little ways at school and in big ways with the global economy, Pope Francis told students from Milan's Istituto San Carlo, a school with students from prekindergarten through high school.
Papal document addresses challenges of evangelizing in the digital age

VATICAN CITY — While digital communications and social media can be used as a tool of evangelization and a place of dialogue with others, they also can be lonely environments where young people fall prey to humanity's worst vices, Pope Francis wrote.
Spread mercy, build fraternity, pope urges Morocco's Christian minority

RABAT, Morocco — Celebrating Mass with members of Morocco's tiny Catholic community, Pope Francis praised them for the many ways they "bear witness to the Gospel of mercy in this land."
Education, dialogue essential for peace, say pope and king

RABAT, Morocco — Greeted by King Mohammed VI, a steady rain, ululating women and cheering crowds, Pope Francis arrived in Rabat March 30 for a 28-hour visit to Morocco.
Pope issues new child protection law for Vatican City State

VATICAN CITY — To better protect minors and vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse and exploitation, Pope Francis approved a new law and a set of safeguarding guidelines for Vatican City State and the Roman Curia.
WATCH: Pope praises service of Italian missionary sister in Africa

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis presented the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross to an elderly Italian missionary sister who dedicated her life to caring for mothers as a midwife in Congo, delivering more than 3,000 babies.
Vatican women's magazine staff walk out

VATICAN CITY — Claiming a lack of support for open dialogue and for an editorial line run by women, the director and editorial staff of a Vatican women's magazine have resigned.
Polish cardinal, St. John Paul's aide, defends pontiff's record on abuse

WARSAW, Poland — A close aide to St. John Paul II has vigorously defended the late pope's handling of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and denied accusations that he ignored the problem during his 27-year pontificate.
Pope leads pilgrims in prayer for victims of mosque attack

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis called on Christians to unite in prayer for the victims of two mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead and dozens wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history.
Pope meets top leaders of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis welcomed top officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Vatican the day before the officials inaugurated their first temple in the city of Rome.
Ancient model for modern dialogue: St. Francis in the sultan's court

VATICAN CITY — In Catholic chronicles, St. Francis of Assisi's meeting with the sultan of Egypt 800 years ago is enmeshed in pious legends; in Muslim sources, there's barely a trace of the story of the Italian friar crossing battle lines during the Crusades.
U.S. Jewish groups react to Vatican decision to release Pius XII archives

WASHINGTON — By next year, Jewish people everywhere will know what World War II-era Pope Pius XII did -- and didn't -- do to save Jewish lives during the worst ethnic cleansing in human history.
WATCH: Give up gossiping for Lent, pope suggests

ROME — 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, Pope Francis said.
Robotics needs ethical guidelines, speakers say at Vatican meeting

VATICAN CITY — As robotics play an increasingly greater role in today's world, their technological capabilities must not outpace ethical concerns, said a number of speakers at the Pontifical Academy for Life's workshop on "Robo-ethics: Humans, Machines and Health."
Cardinal Pell convicted on five counts; verdict will be appealed

MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian court found Cardinal George Pell guilty on five charges related to the sexual abuse of two 13-year-old boys; sentencing is expected in early March, but the cardinal's lawyer already has announced plans to appeal the conviction.
WATCH: Pope says, 'No more excuses'

VATICAN CITY — The time has come for an "all-out battle" against the abuse of minors, erasing this abominable crime from the face of the earth, Pope Francis said, closing a global four-day summit on child protection in the Catholic Church.
WATCH: 'Copernican revolution' needed to tackle abuse

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church needs a true conversion that places survivors, and not the institution, as the focus of its concern as it enacts measures to combat the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people, said Australian Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane.