ROME – With so much suffering, poverty and exploitation in the world, missionary work must also include reaching out to people whose hearts are closed to receiving immigrants and refugees, Pope Francis told Jesuits in Myanmar.

KINSHASA, Congo – Catholic bishops in Congo have instructed clergy to toll their church bells each week until fresh elections are held.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Father Larry Lynn was wrapping up a visit to the Northwest Territories, interviewing aboriginal survivors of residential schools about their experiences, when he thought to ask his tour guide about her life.

MANCHESTER, England – U.K. Catholic leaders urged the British government to accept more child refugees from northern France after reports that hundreds of young people are being forced to sleep outdoors in low temperatures.

MANILA, Philippines – Martial law in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao, originally aimed at quelling a terrorist attack in Marawi in May, has been extended for another year.

VATICAN – God shows his greatness through his tenderness toward his children like a loving father, Pope Francis said.

LAGOS, Nigeria – A trio of Nigerian bishops condemned the enslavement of Nigerians who traveled to Libya for work, calling the practice a horrific abuse of human dignity.

WASHINGTON – While many Catholics took to social media asking for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the life of migrants who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life, President Donald Trump called, on Dec. 12, her feast day, for an end to two immigration programs.

VATICAN – Just like a plant needs sun and nourishment to survive, every Christian needs the light of Sunday and the sustenance of the Eucharist to truly live, Pope Francis said.

MANILA, Philippines – A day after police killed a Christian pastor they tagged as a member of the communist New People’s Army, gunmen killed a 72-year-old Catholic priest on the main Philippine island of Luzon.