Before South Sudan was a country, Luciano Moro was a refugee from South Sudan building a new life alone in Canada.

Pope Francis has been commended frequently as a forceful advocate for reform regarding the Church’s response to clerical sex abuse. But the resignation of a female member of the commission he established to steer those reforms has cast a shadow over his good intentions.

VATICAN CITY – In a newly-released interview Pope Francis discussed the shortage of vocations to the priesthood, saying the first response must be prayer. He also mentioned working with youth, the low birthrate, and the ordination of married men.

VATICAN CITY – The mother of American journalist James Foley, who was executed by the Islamic State group in Syria, has travelled to Rome to thank Pope Francis for the sympathy and support he gave her family after her son’s death.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican’s top doctrinal official, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, has rejected suggestions from a clergy abuse victim that Pope Francis is facing critical internal resistance from foes of his efforts to overhaul the Church’s central administration.

VATICAN CITY – Although the Holy See reported a deficit of 12.4 million euros ($17.6 million) in 2015, significant progress has been made in the budgeting process and carrying out economic reform, the Vatican said.

VATICAN CITY – On the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis said if we want to fight against the temptation of sin, we must be familiar with the Word of God – treating the Bible more like how we treat our cellphone.

Atlantic Canada bishops will lead off two months of visits to Rome which will see all of Canada’s active bishops participate in “ad limina” meetings with a Pope for the first time since 2006.

True fasting is helping your neighbour; while false fasting mixes religiosity with dirty deals and the bribes of vanity. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Friday.

VATICAN CITY – In his prayer video for March, Pope Francis prays for persecuted Christians, asking for the prayers and aid of the whole Church toward those mistreated on the basis of their beliefs.

The compass of the Christian directs him to follow Christ crucified, not a disincarnate god, but God made flesh, Who bears in Himself the wounds of our brothers. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday.

ROME – Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins has accused the Vatican bureaucracy of “shameful” resistance to fighting clerical sex abuse in the Catholic Church as she quit a key panel set up by Pope Francis.

ROME – Lent is a time to receive God's breath of life, a breath that saves humanity from suffocating under the weight of selfishness, indifference and piety devoid of sincerity, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – On Ash Wednesday Pope Francis said that while Lent is certainly a time of mortification, it’s also a journey of hope that leads to the joy of Christ’s Resurrection – a journey that requires both daily sacrifice and love.

Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass for Ash Wednesday at the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine hill in Rome.