Cindy Wooden

Before washing the feet of 12 prisoners, Pope Francis told them and hundreds of inmates to remember that Jesus constantly stands before them with love, ready to cleanse their sins and forgive them.

Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass with thousands of young people, Pope Francis urged them to continue singing and shouting "hosanna" in the world and following Jesus' example of outreach to the poor and suffering.

After disagreement over funding a $25-million-grant request from the Vatican was leaked to the press, the leadership of the Papal Foundation has called for a period of reflection and re-evaluation.

Since January, Pope Francis' references to Jesus' pierced hands, feet and side in impromptu speeches and homilies have been so frequent that it seems to be a major focus of his own prayer life.

Pope Francis once again will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper in a prison and will wash the feet of 12 inmates, the Vatican announced March 20.

The Catholic Church and Catholic agencies that work with migrants and refugees around the world are called to educate, advocate and seek alternative host countries in the face of a growing "refusal to welcome" newcomers, as the Vatican secretary of state defined the situation.

Listening, playing and having an afternoon snack, Pope Francis spent time March 2 at a group home for women prisoners with small children.

Pope Francis has decreed that Latin-rite Catholics around the world will mark the feast of "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church" on the Monday after Pentecost each year.

If people listen to Jesus and do as he urges them, they can be certain that he will see them through even the darkest times, Pope Francis told members of a Rome parish.

Pope Francis announced at the end of a question-and-answer sessions with pastors in the Diocese of Rome that Blessed Paul VI would be canonized this year.

No physician should be forced to choose between violating his or her conscience and facing professional sanctions, said the president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations.

While it is true that the world is full of sin and sinful behavior, priests must learn to scrutinize the "signs of the times" for new trends and attitudes that are good and healthy and holy, Pope Francis told pastors from the Diocese of Rome.

Lent is a time for Christians to get their hearts in sync with the heart of Jesus, Pope Francis said.

Formalizing their unity in the intimate setting of the chapel of the papal residence, Pope Francis and Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi concelebrated Mass together.

Waiting for a verdict on allegations that he sexually abused several boys, Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, Guam, attended one of Pope Francis' weekly general audiences in February.

Prosperous nations where foreign women are forced into prostitution need to drop their hypocrisy and "face the idea that they are part of the problem, rather than turning away, proclaiming their innocence," Pope Francis said.

A devotion to and meditation on the five wounds of Christ "may sound a bit medieval," but anyone who recognizes he or she is wounded will find mercy and healing in the passion of Christ, Pope Francis said.

"I am on a pilgrimage toward Home," retired Pope Benedict XVI wrote in a letter to a journalist, five years after announcing his intention to be the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign.

Lift up your eyes from your smartphones and see those who share your journey of faith and those who are longing for the Word of life, Pope Francis told consecrated men and women.

Multiple news reports indicate the Vatican has made substantial progress in reaching an agreement with China's communist government on the naming of bishops for several dioceses.