NEWS

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta pledged to restrict the presence of guns in Catholic institutions in response to a new Georgia law that would allow licensed gun owners to carry arms into schools, churches and other locales.

Beware of the devil, who wants a jealous, power-hungry and divided church, Pope Francis said.

An estimated 800,000 people were on the streets of Rome April 27 to see two popes concelebrate the Mass honoring the canonization of two of their predecessors, Sts. John Paul II and John XXIII. The square was packed to capacity as more than 500,000 people filled the surrounding area; those unable to cross the bridges to the Vatican watched from large screens in several areas throughout the city, including the Roman Forum and Piazza Navona.

Spectators cheered as members of the Knights of Columbus peeled away the old sign outside to reveal the new name of the cultural center and worship site. The Polish pope's canonization led to the need to change the name of the facility, dedicated to the work and memory of St. John Paul.

Growing up in the shadow of the Nazis' Treblinka concentration camp, in northeastern Poland, Fr. Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, now 37, would listen to his grandfather's account of his eight-month imprisonment there and how he contracted typhus under inhumane conditions.

Canonizing two recent popes in the presence of his immediate predecessor, Pope Francis praised the new Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II as men of courage and mercy, who responded to challenges of their time by modernizing the Catholic Church in fidelity to its ancient traditions.

Promise to protect. Pledge to heal. The first statement serves as the foundation for the Church’s efforts in educating the community in its mission to prevent child abuse. The second underscores the work being done to reach out to survivors of abuse and to alleviate their pain.

Reports that Pope Francis told an Argentine woman civilly married to a divorced man that she can receive Communion "cannot be confirmed as reliable," said Jesuit Father Federico, the Vatican spokesman.

Can't make it to Rome for the canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II? You've got options.

When Christians pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," it is a genuine plea reflecting their needs -- needs that Jesus took seriously, even to the point of cooking for his disciples, says Father Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, an Italian theologian.