VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Working to turn migrants away from the prospect of peace and security in a new country is “a grave sin,” Pope Francis said. “It needs to be said clearly: There are those who systematically work by all means to drive away migrants, and this, when done knowingly and deliberately, is a […]

Pope Francis marked the feast of St. Monica by leaving the Vatican unannounced to pray at her tomb in the Rome basilica named after her son, St. Augustine.

As the Catholic Church and Christians at large experience intense persecution in Nicaragua, Pope Francis expressed encouragement and support to the people living under the country’s authoritarian regime.

The best way to ensure evangelization is about Jesus and not about oneself is to spend time in prayer and especially in Eucharistic adoration, Pope Francis told members of the Oblates of St. Joseph.

Pope Francis asked Catholic legislators to be examples and witnesses of hope to young people who are bombarded with “messages of pessimism and cynicism.”

“Please, let no Christian church be abolished directly or indirectly: the churches are not to be touched,” Pope Francis said about a Ukrainian law banning the Russian Orthodox Church, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Aug. 24, Ukrainian independence day.

When Christians spend time with Jesus in adoration or receive him in the Eucharist, they cannot help but spread his love with others, Pope Francis said.

Devotions at a Marian shrine in Spain that communicate Mary’s “close and affectionate presence” can and should continue, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said.

Pope Francis’ trip to Asia and Oceania in September will be a trip of religious, economic and social contrasts.

A new Vatican postage stamp celebrates the 40th anniversary of full diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See.