Pope Francis will meet slum-dwellers and powerful politicians, pay homage at a Marian shrine and celebrate at World Youth Day when he visits Brazil in late July.

Minnesota businessman Cy Laurent remembers the moment the Holy Spirit lit a path for what would become his lay ministry, the Laboure Society.

In dealing with several serious issues confronting the Church and society today, "the only question is how you respond, not whether you should," said Helen Alvare at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, held May 9 in Washington.

The head of the Vatican office promoting New Evangelization said that while he does not like the terms "Francis effect" or "Francis bump," it is true that "Pope Francis has touched the hearts and minds of many people."

Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who resigned as archbishop after admitting to sexual misconduct, will leave Scotland "for several months for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance," the Vatican said.

Worker advocates have turned to a new tool to educate low-wage employees about wage theft.

As part of ongoing efforts to promote transparency and chip away at the myths surrounding what is commonly called the Vatican bank, its new president announced it will have a website by the end of the year and will publish its annual report.

The Catholic Church needs to revive its loving and tender side, which gets lost when the Church becomes too serious, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis asked Catholics to pray for their bishops and priests, asking God to help them be real shepherds who are poor, humble and meek.

Catholics can't put their faith on a part-time schedule or rely on it just for the moments they choose; being Christian is a full-time occupation, Pope Francis said.

If a person's prayer life is boring, that generally means that he or she is focused too much on the self and not enough on Jesus and the needs of others, Pope Francis said during his May 11 Mass homily.

Pope Francis holds a dove before his weekly audience

Two days after the head of the Vatican office overseeing religious life said he had not been consulted by the Vatican’s doctrinal office about a controversial investigation of American nuns, the two bodies affirmed their “common commitment” to reform of the U.S.-based Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

An 83-year-old woman religious and two other peace activists were found guilty May 8 in a federal court in Knoxville, Tenn., of “intending to harm national security” by breaking into the nuclear weapon-producing facility and defacing its walls last summer.

The number of Catholics in the world and the number of bishops, priests, religious men and seminarians all increased in 2011.

Entrusting Pope Francis’ pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima, Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon, Portugal, asked Mary to give the pope courage and strength, particularly as he moves to renew and reform the Catholic Church.

One of Mary’s titles is “Christ’s First Disciple,” and some of Christ’s earliest followers were women, two of whom he appeared to first after his resurrection.

Islamist rebels who have taken over Central African Republic are targeting Christians and their churches, and the population is “living in permanent anguish,” said the Catholic bishops’ justice and peace commission.

Listen to the Holy Spirit because he is giving people the good news that God loves them and can renew, purify and transform their lives, Pope Francis said.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell may have been convicted May 13 of murder at his Philadelphia abortion clinic, but “nothing can bring back the innocent children he killed, or make up for the vulnerable women he exploited,” Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a May 14 statement.