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.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has asked Catholics and all people of goodwill to observe Sept. 4 as a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon.

WASHINGTON -- Pope Francis’ efforts to bring reform in the Catholic Church are meeting resistance in some Church circles, according to one panelist at an Aug. 31 online forum sponsored by Georgetown University’s Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement.

VATICAN CITY -- The exploitation and plundering of the Earth's resources at the expense of the poor and vulnerable cry out for justice and the forgiveness of debts, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Christ's cross is a powerful symbol of God's love for humanity and not just a decoration or trinket, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Twenty-six weeks after his last weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis will resume his audiences with the public present, but in a Vatican courtyard.

VATICAN CITY -- Christians cannot stand idly by and watch as millions of people are deprived of their basic needs because of others' greed, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- The central focus of a Christian's life and all he or she does to help others must be Jesus Christ, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Taking time out each day to be thankful for God and his gifts will lead to greater joy and mark a great step forward for humanity, Pope Francis said.