Speaking out on one of the most contentious issues of his papacy, Pope Francis issued a powerful call for the Church to embrace Catholics who have divorced and remarried, telling a gathering at the Vatican Aug. 5 that such couples “are not excommunicated, and they absolutely must not be treated that way.”

VATICAN CITY - Trusting in God's infinite mercy, people should not be afraid or embarrassed to go to confession, Pope Francis said.

"There are people who are afraid to go to confession, forgetting that they will not encounter a severe judge there, but the immensely merciful Father," Pope Francis told thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square Aug. 2 for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

VATICAN CITY - Returning to the Vatican in the midst of a heat wave after an eight-day, three-country trip to South America, Pope Francis took the kind of vacation he said he prefers: what has become known as a "staycation."

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has banned an Italian journalist from the papal plane during Pope Francis’ trip to the United States as punishment for his newspaper’s role in breaching the embargo on the pontiff’s hotly anticipated encyclical.

VATICAN CITY - Many of the mayors who met July 21 with Pope Francis stayed at the Vatican for a second day of discussions focused on city planning that promotes economic growth, equality and environmental protection simultaneously.

VATICAN CITY - The Holy See is more than a billion dollars richer than previously known and the Vatican turned a 2014 profit of CDN $53.4 million, according to figures released on July 16.

VATICAN CITY - Vatican magistrates have decided to postpone the proceedings of a criminal trial against a former Vatican nuncio due to the defendant's ill health.

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.

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.

On June 18, Pope Francis released his long-anticipated encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.