Like Mary, who after the Annunciation went in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, young Catholics are called to welcome Jesus into their lives and then to go out and share their joy with others, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church “embraces and encourages a passion for scientific research as an expression of love for the truth and for knowledge about the world,” Pope Francis told members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The first task of a catechist is to love the Lord and to live the faith in a way that makes others want to live it, too, Pope Francis told more than 1,400 people attending the International Congress on Catechesis.

Pope Francis asked Christians to pray for him before he embarks on a three-day visit to Kazakhstan.

The 10th Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the United Nations headquarters in New York led to widespread consensus on numerous issues related to nuclear safety, but could not satisfy the Russian delegation’s objection even though the document did not mention Russia by name.

Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, will embark on his fourth visit to Ukraine on Pope Francis’ behalf, the Vatican announced.

Europe and the entire world are being shaken by a war of great seriousness, Pope Francis told his papal nuncios who serve around the globe.

The Vatican Library, one of the world’s oldest libraries, has launched a new scholarly journal to help promote high-quality research, dialogue across cultures and sharing knowledge related to the library’s holdings, said Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonca, Vatican librarian and archivist.

Discerning the will of God means being able to listen to one’s own heart and recognize the Lord’s presence in the unexpected events of life, Pope Francis said.

Calling sexual abuse “diabolical” and a “mostrosity,” Pope Francis underlined there is “zero tolerance” for those in the church who are guilty of abuse.