VATICAN – A truly pastoral minister never leaves people to suffer on their own or to become a victim to their own errors and confusion, Pope Francis told members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

VATICAN – Pope Francis said he told the bishops and priests of Chile to be uncompromising when it comes to protecting minors from sexual abuse and to trust that God will purify and renew his church during this time of trial.

VATICAN - People have a responsibility to check the source of what they share on social media to ensure it is not "fake news" designed to further prejudices or increase fear, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Global leaders must implement policies that support the family and offer real opportunities for the growth and development of all people, Pope Francis told people attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

KINSHASA, Congo – Security forces in Congo violently dispersed protesters who were demanding that President Joseph Kabila hold fresh elections.

LIMA, Peru – Pope Francis took his message of hope to this sprawling, dusty capital of Peru, celebrating Mass within view of the rocky, waterless Andean slopes where most of the city's poorest residents live.

PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru – Pope Francis called on indigenous people of the Amazon to work with missionaries and bishops to shape a church with an "Amazonian and indigenous" face.

PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru – Society cannot look the other way and allow a culture that demeans the dignity of women to persist, Pope Francis said.

WASHINGTON – In remarks broadcast to the March for Life from the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump said that his administration "will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence, and that is the right to life."

LIMA, Peru – Pope Francis was greeted by the Peruvian president, the country's bishops, a military honour guard and a children's orchestra on his arrival in Peru on Jan. 18. During his visit, he will meet with Amazonian indigenous people from three countries, visit a neighbourhood devastated by flooding early last year, and pray in the place of Peru's greatest popular religious devotion.