VATICAN CITY - An eventual vaccine for COVID-19 would belong to the world and should not be hoarded greedily by countries hosting the lab or labs that develop it, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY - Those in positions of authority, especially in the Catholic Church, would do well to remember that their responsibility is to serve those in their care and not exploit them for their own selfish interests, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Professing faith in God as the creator of all human beings, or even simply recognizing that all people possess an inherent dignity, has concrete consequences for how people should treat one another and make decisions in politics, economics and social life, Pope Francis wrote.

VATICAN CITY -- Bringing the Vatican official in charge of translations with him, Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship," at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, source of the document's title and inspiration.

VATICAN CITY -- In an apostolic letter dedicated to Sacred Scripture, Pope Francis said that even today, Christians can learn new things from the countless translations of the Bible that exist.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis called for the use of dialogue -- not weapons -- for resolving the problems and conflict escalating in the Caucasus region.

Address by Pope Francis to the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25:

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis asked members of the United Nations how they think they can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more peaceful, more just world when many of their countries spend billions on military weapons and when their treatment of the unborn, of refugees and of women shows so little respect for human life.

VATICAN CITY -- If the church fails to go out and proclaim the Gospel to those who are lost or forgotten, it risks falling ill to the evil that is committed by its own members, Pope Francis said.

The Pope’s first official trip outside Rome in more than seven months couldn’t come at a better, or more critical, time.

VATICAN CITY -- When he addresses, via video message, the UN General Assembly Sept. 21, Pope Francis is expected to speak about using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to re-think economic, political and environmental policies in a way that will benefit humanity and the Earth.

VATICAN CITY -- If people took seriously the Gospel call to forgive one another, the world would be a much better place, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- While the COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on most foreign travel and many in-person meetings, Pope Francis still has some major events on his fall 2020 agenda.

VATICAN CITY -- The common good -- and not political or economic gain -- should be at the heart of the race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Gossip is "a plague worse than COVID," Pope Francis said, asserting that while speaking ill of others comes almost naturally, it is a tool of the devil to divide the church.