VATICAN – Pope Francis called the bishops of Chile to the Vatican to "examine the causes and consequences" of the clerical sexual abuse scandal and acknowledge personal responsibility and "the mechanisms that in some cases led to a cover up and serious omissions regarding the victims," the Vatican said.

VATICAN – Seeking Christian unity is more urgent than ever because of the ongoing persecution of Christians, Pope Francis told an Orthodox leader.

VATICAN – During a quick morning visit to Tuscany, Pope Francis praised two lay communities there that are dedicated to living out the Gospel values of reciprocal love and cooperation.

VATICAN – The baptismal font is a tomb in which a person dies to sin, and it is a womb through which a person is born to new life in Christ, Pope Francis said.

As the Companions of the Cross marked its Foundation Day May 4, General Superior Fr. Allan MacDonald said he believed God has something in new in mind for the 33-year-old priestly community.

VATICAN – For more than 50 years, the writings of retired Pope Benedict XVI on the relationship between faith and politics have insisted that the measure of human freedom is the extent to which each person acknowledges being dependent on the love of God, Pope Francis wrote.

ROME – Sharing the Gospel means being a witness to love, responding to questions and patiently walking alongside people, not dictating how and when they take the next step, Pope Francis told members of the Neocatechumenal Way.

VATICAN – Pope Francis asked the bishops of Germany to continue working together to find broader consensus on guidelines for allowing a Protestant married to a Catholic to receive the Eucharist.

VATICAN – The changes in canon law Pope Francis made to ensure that marriage annulment cases were handled more quickly, more pastorally and with less expense mean that some changes should be made in the way church law is taught, said the Congregation for Catholic Education.

ROME – Three Chilean abuse survivors who met with Pope Francis said his apology to them must be accompanied by concrete actions, not only against those who commit sexual abuse, but against those who cover it up.

OTTAWA – The long-running debate over Pope Francis’ views on marriage and the family will eventually result in a more unified Church, says a prominent Catholic author.

ROME – Fra' Giacomo Dalla Torre was elected the 80th grand master of the Knights of Malta May 2 and promised to continue the reform of the order begun last year when he was elected its interim head.

VATICAN – Baptism requires rejecting Satan and professing one's full faith in God, Pope Francis said.

OTTAWA – In a rare show of unanimity, the House of Commons has overwhelmingly supported a motion to call on Pope Francis to apologize on Canadian soil for abuses that occurred at church-run residential schools.

ROME – Pope Francis visited Rome's popular Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love to pray the rosary for peace, especially in Syria.