VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis reminded Christians on Easter Sunday that the Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith - and that even in the face of unexplainable tragedy and suffering in the world, we can declare, "Christ is risen!"

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After a bomb blast killed over 20 people and wounded several others during Palm Sunday celebrations in Egypt, Pope Francis voiced his closeness to the Coptic nation, and prayed for those who perpetrate violence through the arms trade.

Pope Francis has bestowed the title of "basilica" on St. Mary of the Angels Church in Olean. This marks only the ninth time in his papacy that the Holy Father has granted this rare honor to a site in the United States.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis said if we want to fight against the temptation of sin, we must be familiar with the Word of God - treating the Bible more like how we treat our cellphone.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his message for Lent 2017, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that they should heed the Scriptures and treat each human person they encounter as a gift.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis said Tuesday that the Word of God isn't something that can be explained to people as a mere recommendation, or merely a good idea, but that it requires courage, prayer and humility to preach with honesty - and this is the only way it will have an impact.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) - Pope Francis could meet with President Donald Trump at the end of May.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Jesus wasn't worried about his polling results, Pope Francis said Tuesday - instead, he was concerned with each and every person, seeing everything about them, even those things which were seemingly small or inconsequential.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis said having total faith and trust in God means recognizing that he always knows and wants what is best for us, even if it's hard to accept because it doesn't align with our own plans.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a new interview published Saturday, Pope Francis said he will wait to see what U.S. President Donald J. Trump does before making any judgments, emphasizing God's own patience with him and his faults.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a letter sent to bishops around the world for the feast of the Holy Innocents, Pope Francis lamented the many children who suffer from war, slavery and various forms of abuse, including within the Church.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Saturday, Dec. 17, Pope Francis will celebrate his 80th birthday, which he will spend doing what he normally does: offering Mass and meeting with various heads of State and members of the Roman Curia.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - During the Angelus for the third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, Pope Francis made a special appeal for prayers for the people of Aleppo and Syria, and for all those affected by the recent terrorist attacks which have taken place in places such as Turkey and Egypt.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - While signs of bustling pilgrims who came for the Jubilee of Mercy are mostly gone, new signs of Christmas are springing up around St. Peter's Basilica, including the construction of the large Nativity scene in the middle of the square, and the placement of a Christmas tree alongside it.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Although the Jubilee of Mercy has ended, Pope Francis has decided that some of the novelties he applied to the Church during the Holy Year will continue.

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (CNA/EWTN News) - During a press conference Tuesday aboard the papal plane from Sweden to Rome, Pope Francis said the issue of women priests has been clearly decided, while also clarifying the essential role of women in the Catholic Church.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - The Albanian priest whose testimony moved Pope Francis to tears in 2014 is one of the 17 international bishops and priests the Pope will elevate to the College of Cardinals Nov. 19.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis said that Jesus' salvific mission reaches its culmination on the Cross in his conversation with the two thieves crucified with him, showing that God's mercy goes beyond the desperation of human suffering, responding to it with mercy and forgiveness.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After hearing of the murder of two priests in Mexico, Pope Francis sent a telegram to the country's bishops condemning the violent act, offering his prayers as a sign of closeness to the community and families affected.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis on Sunday officially declared Mother Teresa of Calcutta a saint of the Catholic Church in front of thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter's Square - a move the entire world has been waiting for.

ROME, ITALY (CNA) - A group of Holy See firefighters sent by Pope Francis to an earthquake-devastated town in Italy rescued a three-year-old boy from the rubble of his home.

More than 120 bishops and 15 Cardinals will join in a continental celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in Bogotá, Colombia, on August 27-30.

KRAKOW, POLAND - As the sun rose over Krakow's Field of Mercy, over 2 million people woke up in anticipation of Mass with Pope Francis. The current pontiff, following in the footsteps of his predecessors St. John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, celebrated Sunday Mass on the closing day of World Youth Day.

KRAKOW, POLAND (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis challenged massive crowds of young people at World Youth Day's final vigil to step away from the "sofa" of comfort and convenience, and respond to Christ's call to transform a suffering world.

KRAKOW, Poland — Early in the morning of Saturday, July 30, the seventh early morning of the week, nearly 150 pilgrims from the Diocese of Buffalo walked on foot to see Pope Francis.

KRAKOW, POLAND (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis paid a solemn visit to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps on Friday, where over a million people are believed to have lost their lives. At the memorials, he gave no speech and prayed in silence, but instead wrote in the guest book two simple lines begging for God's mercy and forgiveness.

CZESTOCHOWA, POLAND (CNA/EWTN News) - Those who embrace their own littleness become the "spokespersons" of God, Pope Francis said during Mass at the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, celebrating the 1050 anniversary of Poland becoming a Christian nation. It was the first major event of the Pope's trip to the country for the 31st World Youth Day.

KRAKOW, POLAND (CNA/EWTN News) - On his first night in Krakow Pope Francis was already stirring things up with participants in WYD by hosting an off-the-cuff Q and A and telling them to 'make chaos' by spreading the joy of their faith.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On the flight to Poland for World Youth Day, Pope Francis on Wednesday responded to recent violence across the globe by saying that the world is at war.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis has asked for prayers as he, and all the pilgrims attending this year's World Youth Day, prepare to make their way to Krakow, Poland for the international event.

"We have an exciting journey ahead of us," said Bishop Richard J. Malone to some of the 200 local pilgrims who are headed for World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. During a send-off Mass Friday afternoon at Our Lady of Victory Basilica, the bishop said "I ask you to keep in mind one simple truth. The experience we're sharing is all about Jesus."

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Even though World Youth Day doesn't start until next week, thousands of pilgrims from throughout the world are already descending on Krakow ahead of the official event.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Though rumors have been floating for some time, the Vatican confirmed that the Pope will meet with 10 Holocaust survivors during his upcoming visit to Auschwitz while in Poland for World Youth Day.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Several recent appointments by Pope Francis to Vatican departments show that his reform of the Roman Curia is in tune with what he's said from the beginning about his vision for the Church.

After a truck plowed through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 84, Pope Francis voiced his sorrow for the act of "blind violence," and assured the French people of his prayers.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed the prayers and support of the Catholic Church in the United States to the people of France following the July 14 attack in Nice.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - During his Angelus address Wednesday Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of Tuesday's deadly attack on an Istanbul airport, asking that God would convert the hearts of those who choose violence.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis told journalists on Sunday that he was somewhat angered when reports emerged that the Church was allegedly paving the way for the ordination of women to the diaconate, since no such change is in the works.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Tuesday, Benedict XVI gave his second public speech since his final day as Pope, expressing gratitude for a lengthy priesthood and for Pope Francis' "goodness," which he said moves him deeply.

Pope Francis has given to the Church four major teaching documents - two encyclical letters and two apostolic exhortations. In each of these documents, the pope invites us to deeper, stronger, and more authentic ways of living our faith as friends and followers of Jesus Christ sent on mission to bring the Gospel to the world.