Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has issued a blistering critique of the Vatican bureaucracy that serves him. He has denounced how some lust for power at the expense of others, live hypocritical double lives and suffer from "spiritual Alzheimer's" that has made them forget they're supposed to be joyful men of God.

Something as serious and debilitating as stage-4 neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nerve cells, is no match for the faith of 11 year old Gracie West of Freehold. Her faith is strong and her attitude positive – so much so that despite 9 rounds of chemotherapy, her fondest wish was to see Pope Francis in Rome...

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican set the stage Tuesday for Pope Francis' next church meeting on the family, urging bishops to be guided not just by doctrine but by Francis' message of mercy and the "turning point" of the first meeting that sought to provide better pastoral care for gays and divorcees.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church's top theologians on Friday to listen to what ordinary Catholics have to say and pay attention to the "signs of the times," rather than just making pronouncements in an academic vacuum.

ISTANBUL (AP) -- His head bowed and hands clasped in front of him, Pope Francis on Saturday stood in two minutes of silent prayer facing east inside one of Istanbul's most important religious sites, as he shifted gears toward more religious affairs on the second leg of his three-day visit to the mainly Muslim nation.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Pope Francis condemned the Islamic State assault on Christians and other religions minorities in Iraq and Syria, as he arrived Friday in Turkey to encourage Muslim leaders to take a stronger stand against extremists who twist religion to justify terrorism.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- American Cardinal Raymond Burke, a fervent opponent of abortion and gay marriage, has been removed by Pope Francis from another top Vatican post.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth some believe covered Jesus, will go back on public display next year.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis delivered an off-the-cuff, mini-encyclical on the rights of the poor, the injustices of unemployment, and the need for environmental protection Tuesday, saying he's not preaching communism but the Gospel.

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis on Sunday beatified Pope Paul VI, concluding the remarkable meeting of bishops debating family issues that drew parallels to the tumultuous reforms of the Second Vatican Council which Paul oversaw and implemented.