Cindy Wooden

People have a basic choice in the way they live: either striving to build up treasures on earth or giving to others in order to gain heaven, Pope Francis said.

Marriage and family life are blessings, but Catholic couples must be helped to face difficult choices prayerfully and in the light of their consciences, Pope Francis said.

Hypocrisy, like that of the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time, is not the only temptation that continues to plague religious communities, Pope Francis said. Pride also is a great danger.

Working for economic growth based on increased consumption without concern for creating dignified jobs and protecting the environment is dangerous, Pope Francis said.

The grace of God and decades of ecumenical dialogue have enabled Catholics and Protestants to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation together, Pope Francis said.

The fight against human trafficking and the protection of religious freedom around the globe will continue to be top priorities in U.S.-Vatican relations, said the embassy head of staff.

Catholics must make a real effort to share the Gospel with all people, fighting "the recurring temptation" that leads some to focus only on internal church matters or to be pessimistic about evangelization efforts, Pope Francis wrote.

The death penalty, no matter how it is carried out, "is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel," Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law is an instrument that must serve the church's pastoral mission of bringing God's mercy to all and leading them to salvation, Pope Francis said.

Acknowledging how often the Catholic Church failed to protect children from sexual abuse, Pope Francis pledged "to work strenuously and with foresight for the protection of minors and their dignity," including online.

In order to survive, the Catholic Church in China must be realistic and seek a stance of mutual tolerance with the government, said a 90-year-old Chinese Jesuit priest.

An arrest warrant has been issued in Canada for Msgr. Carlo Capella, the Vatican diplomat who already was the subject of a Vatican criminal investigation involving child pornography.

The first person to serve as the Vatican's independent auditor said he was forced to resign after opponents of Pope Francis' financial reforms mounted a campaign against him.

Pope Francis said he is worried that even Catholics are arguing against accepting more migrants and refugees into their communities.

Celebrating the feast of St. Matthew, Pope Francis said it was interesting how many Catholics today seem to be scandalized when God shows mercy to someone.

Updated: Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, on the Vatican's investigation of diplomat recalled from the U.S. embassy after he becomes involved in criminal investigation involving child pornography.

Several young people attending a Vatican-sponsored seminar urged the bishops to be open to listening to youths talk and ask questions about love, sex and sexuality.

The day before North Korea detonated what it said was a hydrogen bomb, Pope Francis urged religious leaders from South Korea to dedicate their words and actions to building peace and harmony.

"We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized," they wrote. 

Police evicted hundreds of refugees from an abandoned building in the center of Rome Aug. 19. The way police went about it led to violence, said Rome's Caritas agency.