VATICAN – Naming a child is an important task for parents, because it gives children a sense of identity and belonging to their family and to God, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Begging Pope Francis to help his son, Alfie, Tom Evans met with the pontiff, pleading for "asylum" in Italy so his seriously ill son may receive care and not be euthanized in England.

OTTAWA – Canada’s bishops’ conference is pushing back against “inaccuracies” in a proposed Parliamentary motion that will call on them to formally invite Pope Francis to apologize for the Church’s role in residential schools. 

VATICAN – The church needs true prophets who not only speak the truth fearlessly, but also empathize with the suffering of their people, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Catholic universities are "called to be workshops of dialogue and encounter in the service of truth, justice and the defense of human dignity at every level," Pope Francis told a delegation from Pennsylvania's Villanova University.

OTTAWA – The founder of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, who opened the first hospital and bilingual school in 19th-century Bytown, has been placed on the road to sainthood by Pope Francis.

VATICAN – Pope Francis met with members of the preparatory council for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon region, which will take place in Rome in October 2019.

VATICAN – Highlighting the plight of a seriously ill toddler in Great Britain and a severely brain-damaged man in France, Pope Francis called for greater respect for every patient's life and dignity.

ROME – After circling a massive, crumbling public housing complex on the outskirts of Rome, Pope Francis had an emotional encounter with the neighborhood's children.

ROME – On Sunday Pope Francis visited a Roman parish, telling Mass-goers to allow themselves to be moved by the immense joy of the resurrection, which overcomes sin and renews believers, allowing them to have a youthful heart.

VATICAN – Christian freedom is being free from worldly ambition, fashion and passion and being open to God's will, Pope Francis said.

SANTIAGO, Chile – Victims of clergy sexual abuse welcomed Pope Francis' letter in which he apologized for underestimating the seriousness of the crisis in Chile.

VATICAN – In a letter to the bishops of Chile, Pope Francis apologized for underestimating the seriousness of the sexual abuse crisis in the country following a recent investigation into allegations concerning Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno.

VATICAN – Pope Francis will preside over a consistory to approve several canonizations, the Vatican announced.

VATICAN – As a sign that God's mercy cannot be limited, Pope Francis has recommissioned his special army of priests charged with bringing that divine mercy to everyone.