Critics argue the Holy See has been too slow to act on scandals globally.

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.Revered by many as the burial cloth of Jesus, the shroud was the second stop on the pope's packed itinera

Expressions of regret and horror, prayer services and moments of silence across the country followed in the aftermath of a shooting in a historic Charleston, S.C., church. The rampage claimed the lives of nine people on June 17. Hundreds gathered around the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Pope Francis speaks with a pastor's voice and with deep respect for science in calling the world to address threats to all life on earth through environmental degradation and a the mindset of a "throwaway culture" in his encyclical, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bish

'The only reason someone could walk into church and shoot people praying is out of hate.'

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."This common 'home' is being ruined and that harms everyone, especially the poorest," he said June 17, the day before the Vatican