Polish cardinal, St. John Paul's aide, defends pontiff's record on abuse

WARSAW, Poland — A close aide to St. John Paul II has vigorously defended the late pope's handling of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and denied accusations that he ignored the problem during his 27-year pontificate.
Pope leads pilgrims in prayer for victims of mosque attack

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis called on Christians to unite in prayer for the victims of two mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 50 people dead and dozens wounded in one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history.
Pope meets top leaders of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis welcomed top officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Vatican the day before the officials inaugurated their first temple in the city of Rome.
Ancient model for modern dialogue: St. Francis in the sultan's court

VATICAN CITY — In Catholic chronicles, St. Francis of Assisi's meeting with the sultan of Egypt 800 years ago is enmeshed in pious legends; in Muslim sources, there's barely a trace of the story of the Italian friar crossing battle lines during the Crusades.
U.S. Jewish groups react to Vatican decision to release Pius XII archives

WASHINGTON — By next year, Jewish people everywhere will know what World War II-era Pope Pius XII did -- and didn't -- do to save Jewish lives during the worst ethnic cleansing in human history.
WATCH: Give up gossiping for Lent, pope suggests

ROME — Lent is a good time to concentrate on fighting the urge to gossip about others and instead trying to correct one's own faults and defects, Pope Francis said.
Robotics needs ethical guidelines, speakers say at Vatican meeting

VATICAN CITY — As robotics play an increasingly greater role in today's world, their technological capabilities must not outpace ethical concerns, said a number of speakers at the Pontifical Academy for Life's workshop on "Robo-ethics: Humans, Machines and Health."
Cardinal Pell convicted on five counts; verdict will be appealed

MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian court found Cardinal George Pell guilty on five charges related to the sexual abuse of two 13-year-old boys; sentencing is expected in early March, but the cardinal's lawyer already has announced plans to appeal the conviction.
WATCH: Pope says, 'No more excuses'

VATICAN CITY — The time has come for an "all-out battle" against the abuse of minors, erasing this abominable crime from the face of the earth, Pope Francis said, closing a global four-day summit on child protection in the Catholic Church.
WATCH: 'Copernican revolution' needed to tackle abuse

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church needs a true conversion that places survivors, and not the institution, as the focus of its concern as it enacts measures to combat the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people, said Australian Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane.
Bishops must see press as allies, not enemies, Mexican journalist says

VATICAN CITY — If they are truly serious about fighting clerical sex abuse, bishops must join forces with journalists and not view them as enemies plotting against the Catholic Church, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki said.
Clericalism, abuse of power, at heart of sex abuse crisis, cardinal says

VATICAN CITY — The abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is a call for bishops to unmask the deep-seated clericalism that placed protection of the institution of the church above the sufferings of victims, said the head of the council of Latin American bishops.
WATCH: Cardinal Cupich asks for new structure to ensure bishops' accountability

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church needs "new legal structures of accountability" for bishops accused of sexual abuse or of negligence in handling abuse allegations, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago told the Vatican summit on safeguarding.
At summit, survivors expose 'cancer' of clergy sex abuse

VATICAN CITY— "Every time I refused to have sex with him, he would beat me," an abuse survivor from Africa told Pope Francis and bishops attending the Vatican summit on child protection and the abuse crisis. The meeting began Feb. 21 with the harrowing stories of survivors of sexual abuse, cover-up and rejection by church officials.
WATCH: Vatican summit opens with acknowledgment of evil committed

VATICAN CITY— Opening the Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis said, "The holy people of God are watching and are awaiting from us not simple, predictable condemnations, but concrete and effective measures" to stop abuse.
Vatican summit: Silence, denial are unacceptable, archbishop says

VATICAN CITY — When presented with an accusation that a priest has sexually abused a child, "whether it's criminal or malicious complicity and a code of silence or whether it is denial" on a very human level, such reactions are no longer tolerable, said the Vatican's top investigator of abuse cases.
McCarrick removed from the priesthood after being found guilty of abuse

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has confirmed the removal from the priesthood of Theodore E. McCarrick, the 88-year-old former cardinal and archbishop of Washington.
Pope calls on world leaders to eradicate poverty, hunger

ROME — Sustainable development in rural areas is key to making poverty and hunger a thing of the past, Pope Francis said.
Great expectations: Vatican abuse summit has key, realistic goals

VATICAN CITY — All eyes and ears will be on the Vatican during an unprecedented gathering Feb. 21-24 to discuss the protection of minors in the Catholic Church.
Cardinal warns against being silent, in error about Catholic faith

VATICAN CITY — To keep silent about the truths of the Catholic faith or to teach the contrary is a form of religious deception that comes from the anti-Christ, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller.
Does God want religious diversity? Abu Dhabi text raises questions

VATICAN CITY — That many religions exist in the world is a fact, but what that plurality communicates to believers about God is a question that theologians are still discussing.
'Witness to Christ with love'

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Meeting with tens of thousands of Catholics living in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis urged them to be meek, peaceful and express their Christian identity by loving others.
Pope arrives in Abu Dhabi, praying for nearby Yemen

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The sun had set long before Pope Francis arrived in Abu Dhabi Feb. 3, but Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince, and Egyptian Sheik Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, still went to the airport to welcome him.
Real Catholic media don't look for heretics everywhere, official says

VATICAN CITY — The rise of media that call themselves Catholic but seem to exist only to judge others is less about criticizing Pope Francis and more about the misguided notion that to affirm one's own orthodoxy, one must find someone to label a heretic, said a Vatican communications official.
Arabian Peninsula has ancient Christian heritage

JUBAIL, Saudi Arabia — As Pope Francis embarks on the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, few may realize that the predominantly Muslim region carries an ancient Christian heritage.
Pope praises respect for diversity in United Arab Emirates

VATICAN CITY — "Al Salamu Alaikum," Arabic for "peace be with you," Pope Francis said at the beginning of a video message to the people of the United Arab Emirates, which he will visit Feb. 3-5.
WATCH: As World Youth Day closes, pope prompts volunteers to keep serving

PANAMA CITY — Just before leaving the physical and human warmth of Panama Jan. 27, Pope Francis stopped to thank the thousands of official volunteers, young and old, gathered at the capital city's Rommel Fernandez Stadium to tell them that they had just participated in an event similar to one that took place early in Christianity.
Prayer and silence: Pope joins World Youth Day Way of Cross

PANAMA CITY — The path walked by Jesus to his passion and death on the cross is the same path of indifference and marginalization taken by those who suffer in the world today, Pope Francis said.
Keep God's love alive, pope tells young people at World Youth Day

PANAMA CITY — Young men and women in the church can bring the joy of the Gospel to the world by showing that God's love extends to all people and excludes no one, Pope Francis said.
WATCH: Marginalized take center stage at World Youth Day 2019

PANAMA CITY — One thing is clear about World Youth Day 2019: This one is not focused on convening great masses of people, or the most influential or the loudest. Instead of highlighting the problems faced by youth in the world's richest or most populous countries, one of its first events focused on the plight of populations most of the world rarely sees or comes across: the indigenous.
Pope says it's 'grave sin' to deny God has blessed other Christians

ROME — Just as divisions in society grow when wealth is not shared, divisions within Christianity grow when the richness of gifts God has given to one Christian church or community are not recognized and shared, Pope Francis said.
Vatican releases guidelines to help church fight human trafficking

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has created a set of pastoral guidelines to inspire and improve the church's work in addressing the crime of human trafficking and the care of its victims worldwide.