VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, clearing the way for his beatification.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis will lead the major shrines around the world in praying the rosary to implore Mary's intercession and protection amid the coronavirus pandemic.

VATICAN CITY -- St. Peter's Square was open to the public May 24, the feast of the Ascension, and scores of visitors turned up for Pope Francis' noonday prayer and blessing.

VATICAN CITY -- Commemorating the fifth anniversary of his encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis called on Christians to join in prayer and acts of care for the Earth and for the poor.

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican announced that it will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment with a year-long series of initiatives dedicated to the safeguarding and care for the Earth.

We tend to think of the planet as a patchwork of nations and continents, but it is really a single tapestry in which everything and everyone is intertwined. The COVID-19 pandemic is tragic evidence of that, but the new coronavirus only illuminates a lesson taught to us already.

It is not wrong to say that Laudato Si’ is an encyclical about ecology or climate change. But nobody gets full marks for that answer.

VATICAN CITY -- St. John Paul II was a man of deep prayer, who loved being close to people and loved God's justice and mercy, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Prayer is more than just a physical, emotional or intellectual act; it is an inner desire to encounter God, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- The coronavirus pandemic has drawn well-deserved attention to nurses and midwives, who are among "the saints next door," dedicated to helping people in some of the most joyful or painful moments of their lives, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Just as Jesus told the disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled," he says the same thing to his followers today amid "the dramas of life," Pope Francis said.

OTTAWA -- It’s official. The long-anticipated merger of the Ottawa and Alexandria-Cornwall dioceses was approved by the Vatican on May 6 and will be known as the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall.

VATICAN CITY -- The coronavirus pandemic is a "favorable time to rediscover the need for prayer in our lives; let us open the doors of our hearts to the love of God our father, who will listen to us," Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Priests and doctors who gave their lives caring for the spiritual and physical well-being of others during the coronavirus pandemic are like Jesus, the good shepherd, who laid down his life for his flock, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has expanded the ranks of the top members of the College of Cardinals, naming as "cardinal bishops" Cardinal Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.