VATICAN CITY - Abortion, abandoning migrants at sea, unsafe working conditions, malnutrition, terrorism and euthanasia are all "attacks on life," said Pope Francis.

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's financial watchdog agency conducted its first routine on-site inspection of the Vatican bank to verify its compliance with regulations to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The Vatican is dragging its media machine into the 21st century, promising to promote social media and streamline its fragmented services with the help of a former BBC executive.

VATICAN CITY - A papal visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina brings hope, joy and some "soul" to this ethnically divided, Catholic-minority Balkan nation, the country's cardinal said.

Evolution, Charles Darwin famously stated, works through the survival of the fittest. Christianity, on the other hand, is committed to the survival of the weakest.

Body and Blood of Christ (Year B) June 7 (Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16, 22-26)

When we want to stress the seriousness and solemnity of an agreement or contract, we say that it is “written in blood.”

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis urged Franciscan friars to hold true to their charism of fraternity, humility and poverty and not lose the respect they have earned over the centuries for living up to those ideals.

VATICAN CITY - The Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank, showed a large jump in profits in 2014 as it continued to winnow its accounts.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said he wants to be remembered as "a good person who tried to do good. I cannot ask for anything more than that."

VATICAN CITY - On May 8, I had the joyful privilege of meeting Pope Francis following one of his private Masses at his residence at Casa Santa Marta inside Vatican City.