Pope Francis greets a woman and child during a July 8, 2019, Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican commemorating the sixth anniversary of his visit to the southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

Pope Francis: Migrants are people, not just a social issue

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VATICAN CITY -- Christians are called to follow the spirit of the beatitudes by comforting the poor and the oppressed, especially migrants and refugees who are rejected, exploited and left to die, Pope Francis said.

With "overwhelming joy," Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria announced July 6, 2019, that Pope Francis had approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Archbishop Sheen is pictured in an undated photo.

Miracle confirmed in Fulton Sheen cause for beatification

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PEORIA, Ill. -- With "overwhelming joy," Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria announced July 6 that Pope Francis had approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan greets Elder Quentin L. Cook, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after Elder Cook introduced him at an event in Orem, Utah, June 30, 2019. Cardinal Dolan told a crowd of more than 3,000 gathered that the nation's Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

Cardinal Dolan: Religious freedom is basis of all other freedoms in U.S.

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OREM, Utah -- The nation's Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan told a crowd of more than 3,000 gathered in Orem for a patriotic event held each year around the Fourth of July.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks on the first day of the spring general assembly of the USCCB in Baltimore June 11, 2019.

Love and family is Christian vision for a happy life, says archbishop

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WASHINGTON -- "A society where children are no longer being born is a society where people no longer understand what makes life worth living," Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said at the annual summer liturgy conference hosted by the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life.

Pope Francis.

Pope Francis: World becoming more elitist, cruel toward excluded

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VATICAN CITY -- The excluded, especially migrants and refugees, are the ones who ultimately pay the price for humanity's greed, Pope Francis said.

Boys from an Afghan refugee family ride on a motorcycle cart as they head to search for recyclables in Lahore, Pakistan, June 20, 2019. The Vatican said Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Basilica July 8 with migrants, refugees and volunteer rescue teams.

Pope Francis to celebrate Mass with migrants, refugees

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's Basilica with migrants, refugees and volunteer rescue teams, the Vatican said.

Blessed John Henry Newman is seen in a portrait provided by the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Blessed John Henry Newman canonization set for Rome Oct. 13

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis will declare Blessed John Henry Newman, the 19th-century British cardinal, a saint Oct. 13.

Nine shards of bone believed to belong to St. Peter lie inside a reliquary June 30, 2019, as it is venerated by Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Pope Francis gave the reliquary to the patriarch.

Pope Francis gives relics of St. Peter to Orthodox patriarch

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VATICAN CITY -- In what Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople described as a "brave and bold" gesture, Pope Francis gave the patriarch a famous reliquary containing bone fragments believed to belong to St. Peter.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, South Korea, at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. After praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square June 30, the Pope Francis called the historic meeting a "good example of a culture of encounter."

Pope Francis applauds Trump, Kim meeting in North Korea

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ROME -- After U.S. President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea, Pope Francis called his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a positive step toward world peace.

Pope Francis walks with Orthodox Archbishop Job of Telmessos as they leave Mass marking the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2019. Archbishop Job was representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Pope Francis: Goal of ecumenism is unity, not leveling differences

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VATICAN CITY -- At the end of Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis and Orthodox Archbishop Job of Telmessos walked down the stairs under the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica and prayed together at the apostle's tomb.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI attends a consistory for the creation of new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in this Feb. 22, 2014, file photo.

Retired Pope Benedict: Unity in church prevails over division

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VATICAN CITY -- "The unity of the church is always at risk" and has been throughout its history, but "its unity always has been stronger than its internal struggles and wars," said retired Pope Benedict XVI.

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