Cindy Wooden

Pope Francis appealed to world leaders in his Christmas Day message that new coronavirus vaccines be made available "to all the regions of the planet."

Banned from entering Belarus since late August, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk can return to the country to celebrate Christmas with his people, the country's nuncio said.

Most of Pope Francis' usual appointments will be livestreamed with few or no members of the public present.

Two top Vatican officials — Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello — have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, Italian media reported, and a Vatican source confirmed.

Joy should be the hallmark of a Christian's life, a reflection of knowing that one is loved by God, saved by Jesus Christ and committed to leading others to him, Pope Francis said.

The ministry of a Catholic bishop must reflect the Catholic Church's commitment to Christian unity and must give ecumenical engagement the same kind of attention as work for justice and peace, said a new Vatican document.

"Creating a fully accessible parish requires not only the removal of architectural barriers, but above all, helping parishioners to develop attitudes and acts of solidarity and service toward persons with disabilities and their families," the pope said in his message marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Dec. 3.

In 2019, Pope Francis invited young economists, entrepreneurs and "change-makers" to gather in Assisi to share ideas for making the global economy more responsive to the needs of the poor and of the planet.

"Pope Francis was questioned closely" about the two 2013 meetings during which Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former nuncio to the United States, claimed he told Pope Francis about McCarrick's history of sexual misconduct, said the Nov. 10 report. 

Bishops who want to establish a religious order in their dioceses must first obtain the written permission of the Holy See, Pope Francis said.

The Eight Beatitudes describe the path to holiness, but the call to meekness seems particularly challenging today, Pope Francis said.

The Vatican Secretariat of State has sent an explanatory note to nuncios around the world insisting that when Pope Francis spoke about civil unions, he was not changing or challenging "the doctrine of the church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years."

Italian-born Cardinal-designate Silvano Tomasi, a supporter of migrants' rights, said he feels "more American than anything else."

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of an international meeting of young economists and entrepreneurs with Pope Francis in Assisi, Italy, the young people went online.

When Pope Francis said gay people have a right to be in a family and that gay couples need some form of civil law to protect their rights, he was not saying that gay couples should have a right to adopt children. In "Francesco," director Evgeny Afineevsky presented the statements as if Pope Francis had said them one right after the other, following a story about a gay couple with children.

A former priest who had been an early spiritual adviser to the alleged visionaries of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been excommunicated, according to an announcement by the Diocese of Brescia, Italy, where he lives.

The president of Focolare has accepted the resignations of the lay movement's top leaders in France and announced the group will ask an independent committee to investigate how allegations of the sexual abuse of minors have been handled.

Paying tribute to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople for his contributions to the theology and spirituality of care for the environment, the Franciscan-run Pontifical University Antonianum awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Repeating a call first made by St. Paul VI, Pope Francis urged a global move to divert money from national military spending and use it to "definitely defeat hunger."

As the world's attention is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and its dire economic consequences, the Vatican urged nations not to forget the people of Syria, who are still living in a situation of violence and extreme need.