QUITO, Ecuador - When Pope Francis enters the Jesuit church here July 7 for a moment of private prayer, he will step into an architectural gem where trees once grew up through the floor.

OTTAWA - Nine months ago Rosa Frias was blessed to meet Pope Francis and tell him about obstacles she faced in opening a children’s clinic in her home town of Limpio, Paraguay. So the Pope’s visit to Paraguay July 10-12 has special significance for Frias now that her dream has come true and her clinic has been opened.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will depart July 5 on a much-anticipated trip to Latin America, seen as a homecoming for the Argentine pontiff and likely to draw attention to key challenges in the region.

VATICAN CITY - Anti-capitalism activist Naomi Klein on July 1 praised Pope Francis for standing up to Republicans who are warring against environmentalists, as the Vatican continues its battle against climate change with a high-level conference at the Holy See.

Let it never be said that the Vatican under Pope Francis is predictable. The latest case in point is a Vatican invitation extended to Canadian feminist and environmental activist Naomi Klein.

Nearly 500 Canadians have already signed up to be in Philadelphia with Pope Francis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families.

The Vatican has released details of Pope Francis’ itinerary for his Sept. 22-27 United States visit, his first, and it shows how this “pope of the people” wants to avoid becoming a prisoner of the East Coast “power corridor” during his five days in Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis visited retired Pope Benedict XVI at his Vatican residence June 30 to wish him a happy summer.

VATICAN CITY - In word and deed, Pope Francis will take his vision of a Catholic's approach to family life, parish life, charity, economics, immigration and good governance to Cuba and the United States during a Sept. 19-27 visit.

On June 30, the Vatican released details of Pope Francis’ itinerary for his Sept. 22-27 visit to the United States, his first to this country.

ROME - Religious leaders from across the globe led a “Many Faiths — One Planet” march to the Vatican June 28, to show their support of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking environmental encyclical.

TORONTO - Almost 10 years ago, St. Gabriel’s Church was built for Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. Toronto’s only LEED certified church, St. Gabriel’s is recognized for more than its energy-efficient design. The Passionist parish is an architectural statement about the connection between God and creation.

Pope Francis has given the world a choice between “debris, desolation and filth” or “a serene harmony with creation.” The path we take, both individually and on a global scale, depends upon a clear-eyed view of reality and the deep connection we experience as God’s creatures with one another, with our world and with God.

Following the release of the papal encyclical Laudato Si’, The Register asked members of its Youth Speak News team to read the document and offer us their thoughts. This is what they told us.

In a society where youth feel their opinions are written off, we were empowered to read what Pope Francis had to say about us in his latest encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.

Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once famously quipped, “A week is a long time in politics.” It is a truism that Pope Francis and the Vatican might well be discovering about the widespread reception of Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.