Pope Francis has once again expanded the Catholic definition of being pro-life. 

VATICAN – Parents who prefer not to baptize their children in the hopes that they will "understand and ask for baptism" as adults lack faith that the Holy Spirit will act in their child's life, Pope Francis said.

For the first time in 500 years, Lutherans in Sweden are welcoming Catholics to celebrate Masses in Lund cathedral. The historic cathedral, formerly the site of bitter religious feuding, has become a site of interfaith friendship since Pope Francis held a service there in 2016.

OTTAWA – Canada’s bishops may face an unprecedented call from Parliament to formally ask Pope Francis to apologize on Canadian soil for the Church’s role in operating residential schools.

GREENSBURG, Pa. – Father Medil Sacay Aseo, 63, a priest from the Philippines who is serving in the Diocese of Greensburg's International Priests Program, has been appointed bishop of the Diocese of Tagum in the Philippines by Pope Francis.

VATICAN – Priests must give hope to men and women seeking forgiveness, encouraging them in their struggle away from the slippery slope of sin, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Naturally in a document on the Christian call to holiness, Pope Francis cited a heavenly host of saints – including some whose sainthood causes are ongoing and some who probably will never be canonized.

VATICAN – The Catholic Church wants to listen to young people and know where they are coming from, but young Catholics must be ready to listen to Jesus and discover where he wants to lead them, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – God calls all Christians to be saints – not plastic statues of saints, but real people who make time for prayer and who show loving care for others in the simplest gestures, Pope Francis said in his new document on holiness.

VATICAN – Pope Francis condemned the use of chemical weapons after a deadly attack killed dozens of innocent men, women and children in Syria.

The Catholic relationship with Canada’s Indigenous peoples no doubt wobbled with the announcement that Pope Francis is not coming here to offer the apology so explicitly called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After so much suffering, it could hardly be otherwise.

VATICAN – "Rejoice and Be Glad," Pope Francis' new apostolic exhortation on "the call to holiness in the modern world" will be released April 9, the Vatican announced.

ROME – Friends and fans called him a "gentle giant," a faithful "prayer warrior" and a Clark Kent whose superman power was helping people grow in holiness and faith.

VATICAN – The final words at Mass – "Go in peace" – are an invitation to Christians to proclaim God's blessings through their lives, not an opportunity to go outside and speak ill of others, Pope Francis said.

OTTAWA –  Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde wants a face-to-face meeting to ask Pope Francis to reconsider his rejection of a call to come to Canada to issue a formal apology to Indigenous peoples.