Pope Francis said four nuns executed by gunmen in Yemen at a home where they cared for elderly and disabled residents are “today’s martyrs.”

There is intense anticipation in the Catholic Church — and no small amount of anxiety for traditionalists — over what Pope Francis will say about Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics in a key document expected in the coming weeks.

Only if our hearts are open and we recognize ourselves as sinners can we receive God’s mercy. That’s the message Pope Francis imparted to the faithful gathered for the morning Mass Thursday at the Santa Marta guesthouse.

VATICAN CITY - In the second of his "Mercy Friday" gestures, Pope Francis spent two hours with a group of young adults at a Catholic-run residential drug rehabilitation center.

VATICAN CITY - Even in the midst of bombings, Vatican ambassadors stay put, risking their lives while working to end what Pope Francis has termed a "piecemeal" World War III, said the Vatican minister of foreign affairs.

VATICAN CITY - To be truly formative, Catholic higher education has to continue to entrench students with human values, particularly the value of transcendence, said Pope Francis.

VATICAN CITY - By reflecting on the Passion of Christ, the author of the Way of the Cross meditations for Pope Francis' Good Friday service said he will focus on the suffering unfolding in the world today and how "the martyrs of the 21st century are undoubtedly the apostles of today."

VATICAN CITY - Those who hope Pope Francis will give divorced and civilly remarried Catholics a blanket welcome back to Communion and those who fear he will open the doors to such a possibility are both likely to be disappointed by his decision.

TAMPA, Fla. - Fourteen bishops from Canada, the United States and Latin America explored ways to invite the faithful into what Pope Francis has called "an encounter with Jesus Christ" during three days of prayer and discussion.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump convincingly won the Nevada caucuses but is still struggling in what might be called “the Pope Francis primary.”

VATICAN CITY - For a Christian, talk is cheap; the faith requires concretely doing God's will and serving the least as well as those around you, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass.

VATICAN CITY - Let no one feel ignored or mistreated when they encounter a member of the Roman Curia or staff working at the Vatican, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called for a moratorium on executions during the Year of Mercy and said the fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," applies not only to the innocent but to the guilty as well.

VATICAN CITY - The Pope is human. Pope Francis demonstrated that in Mexico, as he does wherever he goes, and most people find it attractive most of the time.

WASHINGTON  - The joint declaration signed Feb. 12 in Cuba between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has met with a tepid reaction from Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.