Faith

Pope Francis visits the Shroud of Turin in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, June 21.

Pope Francis contemplates Shroud of Turin, calls it 'icon of love'

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VATICAN CITY - It took place in silence and lasted only a few minutes, but Pope Francis' time of prayer and contemplation before the Shroud of Turin was marked with gestures of reverence and tenderness.

Pope Francis calls on the faithful and “people of good” to take steps to mitigate climate change and treat all of creation with respect and concern in his encyclical released June 18.

People are destroying the earth, Pope says in encyclical

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[Read the Pope's encyclical on the environment here.]

VATICAN CITY - The earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, Pope Francis says in his long-awaited encyclical, Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home.

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 17.

Pope Francis: Seek forgiveness for shutting out refugees

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said people who shut out refugees should seek forgiveness June 17, after clashes on Italy’s borders as European countries try to push back against a wave of migrants fleeing by boat from Libya.

A Roma boy sits in the backyard of a house in Gyongyospata, Hungary, March 24.

Read encyclical on care for creation with 'open heart,' Pope asks world

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VATICAN CITY - Appealing to the entire world, Pope Francis urged everyone to read his upcoming encyclical on the care of creation and to better protect a damaged earth.

A wooden figure of St. Francis of Assisi is perched in the yard of the energy-efficient straw-bale house built by a Catholic religious order in Ohio. Pope Francis’ second encyclical on the environment is called “Laudato Si” and is named after a St. Francis of Assisi prayer. Pope Francis calls everyone to be a steward of the Earth.

Vatican outraged by encyclical leak

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The most anticipated papal encyclical in history has anticipated itself. What an angry Vatican spokesman called an “intermediate draft” of the letter from Pope Francis on the environment was leaked by an Italian magazine three days before its official launch.

In this March 3, 2008 photo, environmental workers collect sea samples after an oil spill at Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

Pope Francis: ‘Let us modify our relationship with natural resources’

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VATICAN CITY - People must change their lifestyles and attitudes to help defeat hunger, Pope Francis said June 11, a hint of what may be coming in his much-anticipated environmental encyclical next week.

A homeless woman sits with her belongings as she waits for a friend leaving the Vatican following a March 26 visit.

Pope Francis to open 30-bed homeless shelter a few steps from Vatican walls

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will open a homeless shelter on the edge of Vatican City, the latest move by the pontiff to help poor people in Rome.

Pope Francis gestures as he leaves his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 10.

Pope OKs plan to investigate, judge bishops who fail to act on abuse

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has approved new procedures for the Vatican to investigate and judge claims of "abuse of office" by bishops who allegedly failed to protect minors and vulnerable adults from sex abuse.

The Vatican has released a new Arabic-language guidebook, the first of its kind, which aims to bring the culture of the Catholic Church to a new audience.

New Arabic-language Vatican guidebook aims to explain Catholic culture

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VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has released a new Arabic-language guidebook, the first of its kind, which aims to bring the culture of the Catholic Church to a new audience.

Pope Francis elevates the Eucharist during Mass outside the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome June 4. Pope Francis reminded the work of mission societies belongs to Jesus and reducing a group to functionalism will lead to ruin.

Pope Francis warns mission societies against becoming NGOs

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VATICAN CITY - The mission-oriented agencies of the Church must guard against operating like nongovernmental organizations, empty of Christ's presence, Pope Francis said.

The Shroud of Turin is displayed during a preview for journalists at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, April 18. A public exposition of the shroud, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus, runs from April 19 through June 24, 2015.

Pope helps homeless, poor in Rome make pilgrimage to Shroud of Turin

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VATICAN CITY - With financial assistance from Pope Francis, a Rome parish led 50 homeless and poor people on a pilgrimage to see the Shroud of Turin June 4 and has provided the money needed for another Rome parish to do the same a week later.

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