Junno Arocho Esteves

Going out to the "peripheries" may be a phrase favored by Pope Francis, but even in diplomatic affairs, it is something the Vatican has done for centuries, often in the face of danger.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI defended the continuity of the church's teaching under his successor and dismissed those who criticize the pope's theological foundations.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Community of Sant'Egidio's founding, Pope Francis urged its members to continue to safeguard the poor, the elderly, the young and the excluded.

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will make a four-day trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September.

The Vatican will host a fast-paced gathering of students, developers and entrepreneurs from around the world that aims to find high-tech solutions for complex global issues.

Mass isn't a paid arrangement for salvation but rather the commemoration of Christ's sacrifice of his life, given freely to all, Pope Francis said.

Christians must let go of resentments and forgive those who have wronged them so that they may experience God's forgiveness, said Pope Francis.

The fuller participation of women in decision-making in the Catholic Church is a continuing process, Cardinal Kevin Farrell said after the presentation of "A Pope Francis Lexicon."

Pope Francis has expressed strong support for the canonization of Fr. Rutilio Grande, the martyred Jesuit who is said to have inspired Blessed Oscar Romero.

Pope Francis named two longtime Vatican officials, Msgr. Alfred Xuereb and Msgr. Jose Bettencourt, as apostolic nuncios and elevated both to the rank of archbishop.

Pope Francis will visit Geneva in June, Andre Simonazzi, spokesman for the Swiss Federal Council, confirmed Feb. 28 

Priests must be mindful that the confessional is a place where people can find forgiveness and mercy, not threats and condemnation, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis' call for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in war-torn countries like South Sudan and Congo is also a reminder for world leaders to protect their countrymen from violence and injustice, a Vatican official said. 

A judge on a top Vatican tribunal was given a 14-month suspended sentence by an Italian court for possessing child pornography and sexual molestation. He then resigned his position on the Roman Rota, the tribunal.

The yearning for one's soul to be quenched must not be confused with longing for worldly desires, a Portuguese priest told Pope Francis and senior members of the Roman Curia during their Lenten retreat.

The Vatican denied that retired Pope Benedict XVI has a degenerative neurological disease or paralyzing condition after his brother, 94-year-old Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, told a magazine that Benedict had a debilitating disease. 

The silence that precedes the opening prayer at Mass is an opportunity for Christians to commend to God the fate of the church and the world, Pope Francis said. 

Like the scribes and Pharisees of old, pastors end up leading a double life when they detach themselves from God and his people, the pope said in his homily Jan. 9.

Fear and the shame of admitting one's own sins leads to pointing fingers and accusing others rather than recognizing one's own faults, Pope Francis said.

Christians have good reason to be joyful and should let it shine in their faces rather than sport sad, pessimistic looks, Pope Francis said.