Catholic News Service

Caritas Internationalis, the global Catholic charity network, elected Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo to be its new president following a Vatican-mandated overhaul of its leadership.

Pope Francis updated the "Fundamental Law of Vatican City State," opening the possibility that laypeople can be members of its governing commission and emphasizing that the independence of the city-state is essential for the mission of the Holy See.

Peace is urgently needed in today's world, and women should be more greatly appreciated, Pope Francis told hundreds of Catholic women.

In encouraging the peaceful resolution of conflicts and in promoting the common good on the international stage, the Vatican embraces a strategy of "positive neutrality," which allows it to dialogue with all sides, Pope Francis said.

Starting a family and having children has become a kind of herculean task when instead it should be valued and supported by everyone, Pope Francis said at a meeting in Rome on Italy's severe decline in population growth.

Pope Francis' message, focused on the theme, "Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay," was released at the Vatican May 11.

The Catholic Church's charitable mission must share the Gospel message of unity, justice and peace or risk becoming "merely a semblance of goodness," Pope Francis told Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's majority charity confederation. 

Multilateral institutions that have been stripped of power need a "profound reform" to guarantee peace and security between nations, Pope Francis wrote.

Two popes sat side by side before a crowd of rain-soaked pilgrims in St. Peter's Square May 10. Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, was at the Vatican to mark the 50th anniversary of a joint declaration signed by St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III in 1973 outlining the beliefs shared by their churches.

Punishing and condemning those guilty of clergy sexual abuse is an act of charity, Pope Francis said. "The abuser is an enemy. Each of us feels this because we empathize with the suffering of the abused," he said during a private meeting with 32 Jesuits April 29 during his three-day trip to Budapest, Hungary. Those guilty of abuse "deserve punishment, but they also deserve pastoral care."

The Vatican office in charge of coordinating plans for the Holy Year 2025 announced they are launching a new website and releasing an app to help people register and to guide them along their pilgrimage in Rome.

Pope Francis met with 32 Jesuits April 29 during his three-day trip to Budapest, Hungary. Questioned by the confreres of a Hungarian Jesuit kidnapped with another priest and imprisoned during Argentina's murderous military dictatorship, Francis said, "I did what I felt I had to do to defend them. It was a very painful affair."

The new projects and developments at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors represent "a major shift toward a more impact-focused direction," said its president, Cardinal Seán O'Malley of Boston.

Safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons must be a priority for everyone in the church, Pope Francis said during an audience May 5 with staff and members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican.

Catholic universities must be outward looking and prepare their students to engage with the world's problems rather than teaching rigid ideas, Pope Francis told a delegation from the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean May 4 at the Vatican.

Just under three months before World Youth Day gets underway in Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis said young people should consult their grandparents about how to prepare.

Interreligious dialogue requires sincerity and mutual respect to be fruitful, Pope Francis told Christian and Muslim leaders.

The strong roots of faith and community helped the people of Hungary resist and survive Nazi occupation and communism, Pope Francis said, and the people must draw on those roots today to resist the more subtle threats of consumerism and individualism.

Shortly after urging people to pray the rosary for peace and entrusting the people of Ukraine to Mary's care, Pope Francis met briefly with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, director of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church.

World Youth Day is an antidote against indifference, isolation and lethargy, Pope Francis said.