VATICAN CITY – Like St. Francis of Assisi did, the Catholic Church and individual Christians must follow Christ by imitating his willingness to give up everything for the sake of others, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – Simple gestures of welcome and solidarity, when supported by faith in Jesus' resurrection, proclaim the value of life, Pope Francis said.

CHICAGO – Natalie Martha Loya sits in the front pew of the Byzantine Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma, Ohio, every Sunday morning.

VATICAN CITY – Jesus is the risen shepherd who takes upon his shoulders "our brothers and sisters crushed by evil in all its varied forms," Pope Francis said before giving his solemn Easter blessing.

VATICAN CITY – As extraordinary as the apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, nearly 100 years ago were, the sanctity of the shepherd children did not hinge on their having seen Mary, a cardinal said.

WASHINGTON – Catholics and other Christians have grown up believing in the Resurrection, but the Apostles themselves were among the first who were skeptical that Jesus arose from the dead.

WASHINGTON – Millions of baby-boomer Catholics grew up hearing the phrase "Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima" in their churches and Catholic schools.

The following is the Easter message released by Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

VATICAN CITY – Jesus came to the world not just to teach, but to radically change human hearts that have hardened from sin, the preacher of the papal household said during a service commemorating Christ's death on the cross.

WASHINGTON – The Catholic Church pulls out all the stops for the Easter Vigil, the Mass celebrated on Holy Saturday.