VATICAN CITY – If the Catholic Church recognizes as "worthy of belief" only the initial alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, it would be the first time the church distinguished between phases of a single event, but it also would acknowledge that human beings and a host of complicating factors are involved, said a theological expert in Mariology.

VATICAN CITY – Like parish priests throughout Italy do during the Easter season, Pope Francis spent an afternoon May 19 going door-to-door and blessing homes.

True doctrine unites; ideology divides. That was the message of Pope Francis in the homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Friday.

VATICAN CITY – The frailty associated with illnesses like Huntington's disease is not a reason to shun the sick but a reminder of the value of life, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has reminded believers that Jesus' love is infinite and true, unlike worldly passions that seek power and vanity.

VATICAN CITY – The commission that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI established to study the alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, reportedly voted overwhelmingly to recognize as supernatural the first seven appearances of Mary in 1981.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis' meeting with families affected by Huntington's disease will bring much-needed attention and hope to men, women and children who often are ostracized and even left to die alone and unloved, a U.S.-based neuroscientist said.

True peace is not man-made but a gift of the Holy Spirit. "A peace without a cross is not the peace of Jesus" for it is only the Lord who can give us peace amidst tribulations. This was the central message of the homily of Pope Francis at Mass, Tuesday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is considering dedicating a meeting of the Synod of Bishops to the concerns of the indigenous people of the Amazon region, a Peruvian archbishop said.

VATICAN CITY – A peace that can be purchased can provide only a false sense of security that will not last in moments of trial and suffering, Pope Francis said during his early morning Mass.

VATICAN CITY – On Sunday Pope Francis reflected on the May 13 canonization of the child visionaries St. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, saying that their faithfulness, despite their young age, reminds us to pay special attention to children in the ministry of the Church.

Missed our coverage of Pope Francis' trip to Fatima for the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions? Click here to check them out.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM PORTUGAL – While the investigations into the very first alleged apparitions at Medjugorje in must continue, Pope Francis said he has doubts about claims that Mary continues to appear in the village of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

FATIMA, Portugal – Mary's example of believing and following Jesus is what matters most; she cannot be some image "of our own making" who Christians barter with for mercy, Pope Francis said.

LEIRIA, Portugal – Pope Francis said his two-day pilgrimage to Fatima would be a time of prayer and encounter with Jesus and Mary.