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The religious-order brothers, sisters and priests and the hermits, monks and consecrated virgins who serve God and the Catholic Church are called to stoke the "missionary fire" in their souls, said Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz.

Bishop John Dolan continued his tour of high schools in the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix today as part of his “Listening Tour,” visiting St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. In addition to meeting with students, faculty, and staff, he celebrated Mass with the student body and toured the campus.

Marriage is not a ceremony, a social event, a mere formality or an abstract ideal, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality is not a crime, and that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin, in a written response to a request for clarification about his remarks during a recent interview with the Associated Press.

Christians must combat the prevalent culture of wastefulness by becoming poor in spirit, Pope Francis said.

The principal task of the continental assemblies and the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops in 2023 and 2024 is to learn and strengthen a process of listening as a church to the Holy Spirit and not to address all the issues being debated in the church, top officers of the synod said.

The "spiral of death" that has materialized in the Holy Land in recent days threatens the little remaining trust that exists between Israelis and Palestinians, Pope Francis said.

As the Knights of Malta move toward re-establishing their normal means of governance under a papally-ordered new constitution, Pope Francis told members of the order's general chapter not to be afraid of lively debates, but to seek unity for the sake of their witness and service to the poor.

Pope Francis has chosen Chicago-born Bishop Robert F. Prevost of Chiclayo, Peru, to succeed Canadian Cardinal Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

After flying across the equator, Pope Francis was welcomed warmly -- in every sense -- to Congo where Catholics make up the majority of the population and where, for decades, the Catholic Church has been at the forefront of efforts to bring peace, education and health care to the people.