The Second Vatican Council continues to have an enduring impact on the Catholic Church and on the papacy of Pope Francis, according to the Vatican's top diplomat, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.Read More

The role of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other bishops' conferences around the world is "catholic" -- working together to promote the church's mission, but also "to support peacebuilding and human development throughout the world," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.Read More

"It makes me so sad when I celebrate (Mass) in the square or in the basilica and I see so many cellphones in the air," the pope said. "And not just by the lay faithful, some priests and bishops, too."Read More

ANALYSIS: Pope Francis' recent statement on the death penalty focused less on the government's role and more on the need to defend the dignity of human life.Read More