"Please rid us of this corruption and the leaders who have taken us down the wrong paths," prayed Father Hugo Estrada. "We ask that you be with this great nation of Guatemala."

Pope Francis said he was not “promoting the nullity of marriages, but the quickness of the processes.

Pope Francis issued two Apostolic Letters on Tuesday introducing reforms to questions of marital nullity.

"The crisis in Syria is now in its fifth year, and the neighboring countries where we've been providing assistance are running out of resources," said Kim Pozniak, communications officer for Catholic Relief Service.

"May Every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary of Europe, take in one family" Pope Francis appealed.

It is the fiat of the local bishop whether to allow the priests in his diocese to absolve those sins that result in automatic excommunication.