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Pope Francis greets a woman during his visit with Giovanni Traettino, a Protestant pastor and his friend, in Caserta, Italy, July 28. Pope Francis said he knew people would be shocked that he would make such a trip outside of Rome to visit a group of Pen tecostals, "but I went to visit my friends."

Pope Francis meets 200 Pentecostals in Italy

VATICAN CITY - His voice breaking with emotion, Giovanni Traettino, a Pentecostal pastor in southern Italy and longtime friend of Pope Francis, welcomed the Pope, "my beloved brother," to his partially built church in Caserta.

Vatican revising canon law on abuse penalties

Vatican revising canon law on abuse penalties

VATICAN CITY - Church law has procedures and penalties for effectively dealing with allegations of clerical sexual abuse, but the Vatican is working to revise a section of the Code of Canon Law to make those norms and procedures clearer and, therefore, more effective, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

Pope Leo XIII is depicted seated in an official Vatican portrait circa 1878. The pope, credited with being the founder of Catholic social teaching, anonymously crafted Latin riddles for a Roman magazine.

Papal puzzler: Leo XIII anonymously published riddles in Latin

VATICAN CITY - Going by the pseudonym "X," Pope Leo XIII anonymously crafted poetic puzzles in Latin for a Roman periodical at the turn of the 19th century.

Italy's flag is seen as Pope Francis greets people at Rome's Church of St. Gregory VII March 21 after a prayer service for victims of the Mafia.

Why is Pope Francis spending so much time going after the Mafia?

VATICAN CITY - It began with the murder of an innocent three-year-old boy who burned to death in his grandfather’s car in a Mafia ambush in January. Pope Francis was so shaken by the death of Nicola “Coco” Campolongo that he spoke out against the ferocity of the crime and those behind it.

Malaysian youths gather in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, July 18 for a candlelight vigil for passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. Pope Francis offered prayers for the 298 passengers and crew members who died when the plane went down July 17 in eastern Ukraine.

Pope prays for victims of downed plane, urges peace in Ukraine

VATICAN CITY - Though exactly what happened to Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 remained unclear, Pope Francis offered prayers for the 298 passengers and crew members who died when it came down in eastern Ukraine.

An Iraqi man carrying a cross and a Quran attends Mass at Mar Girgis Church in Baghdad July 20. Pope Francis called for prayers, dialogue, and peace, as the last Iraqi Christians flee the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Pope calls for prayers as militants chase all Christians out of Mosul

Updated 07/22/14

VATICAN CITY - As the last Iraqi Christians in Mosul fled the city, Pope Francis urgently called for prayers, dialogue and peace.

Pope going to Caserta twice — for Mass, then to meet Pentecostals

Pope going to Caserta twice — for Mass, then to meet Pentecostals

VATICAN CITY - Although Pope Francis planned to make a short, private visit to Caserta in southern Italy specifically to visit a Pentecostal pastor he knows from Argentina, the 200-km trip has taken a new form — two forms, to be exact.

Vatican bank issues detailed report, including where it stores its gold

Vatican bank issues detailed report, including where it stores its gold

VATICAN CITY - One week after publishing highlights of its 2013 financial statement, the Institute for the Works of Religion -- commonly called the Vatican bank -- released a 107-page, detailed financial report for the year.

Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade Kuribrena meets with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, in Mexico City July 13. Cardinal Parolin, shown with Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to Mexico, traveled to Mexico to di scuss the issue of child migrants from Central America with regional counterparts.

Vatican to support help for 'humanitarian emergency' of child migrants

MEXICO CITY - The Vatican's secretary of state pledged full support for addressing the issue of child migrants streaming out of Central America in search of safety and family reunification in the United States.

Pope Francis raises eyebrows by saying pedophile priests include ‘bishops and cardinals’

Pope Francis raises eyebrows by saying pedophile priests include ‘bishops and cardinals’

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has provoked a debate within the Catholic Church after being quoted as saying that one in 50 Catholic clerics is a pedophile.

Palestinians surround the body of a 10-year-old girl, whom hospital officials said was killed in an Israeli airstrike, during her funeral at a mosque in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, July 11. In response to the “tragic events” unfolding in the Middle East, Pope Francis delivered "a heartfelt appeal to continue to pray with persistence for peace in the Holy Land."

Prayer for peace is never in vain, says Pope

VATICAN CITY - Praying for peace is never a useless exercise — it keeps evil at bay and helps people not give in to violence, Pope Francis said.

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