VATICAN CITY (CNA) — During a recent general audience Pope Francis emphasized the certainty of Christ's presence in the world today, noting how His resurrection is an invitation to reject sin and be open to joy and hope.

In preparation for the October 2015 XIV Ordinary General Assembly at the Vatican, Bishop Richard J. Malone is asking Catholic priests and their parishioners to discuss and reflect upon the role and place of the family in the world today.

Nearly two years after becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis continues to grow more popular among Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) — The "globalization of indifference" was at the heart of Pope Francis' Lenten message in which he urged the faithful to fight individualism with merciful hearts that are more attentive to the needs of others.

Every year the Diocesan Vocation Office produces and distributes a vocation poster to every parish in the diocese. This year the poster was done in two sizes and it focuses on Pope Francis as he ordains a young man to the priesthood at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Both of the posters contain a quote from Pope Francis on vocations. Have you seen these posters in your church or school?

Austen Ivereigh, author and founder of Catholic Voices, has written an in-depth biography of Pope Francis. "The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope" offers 391 pages of insights that show what shaped the current pontiff.

As I write, I am at the airport in Rome awaiting my flight home through Philadelphia to snowbound Buffalo. I followed news of the storm on CNN at the Pontifical North American College, our U.S. seminary in Rome, where I stayed during the meeting.

Bishop Richard J. Malone represented Buffalo and the United States at the Vatican in November, as he was asked to be a part of the International Colloquium: The Complementarity of Man and Woman to reaffirm the Catholic Church's position on marriage. Attending the colloquium was an important affirmation of Bishop Malone's work as chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

Bishop Richard J. Malone was present at the Vatican on Nov. 17, when Pope Francis announced he will attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next September. Bishop Malone is in Rome, participating in the International Colloquium: The Complementarity of Man and Woman, through Nov. 19.

Rome, Italy (November 17, 2014) - In remarks offered today in Rome, Pope Francis formally announced his intention to attend the World Meeting of Families - Philadelphia 2015, set to be held September 22-27, 2015. This visit will mark his first to the United States as pope. He will be only the fourth reigning Pontiff to visit our nation in its history.

WASHINGTON—Drawing on the teachings of Pope Francis, the theme of the 2015 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, February 7-10 in Washington, will be "To Go Forth: Encountering Christ in the Heart of the World." The gathering brings together hundreds of Catholics from across the country who work in ministries at parishes, dioceses and college and university campuses. The theme is meant to echo Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, and observe the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes.

According to Vatican-speak, a specially scheduled session of the Synod of Bishops is an "Extraordinary Synod," meaning not-an-ordinary Synod, held every three years or so. In the case of the recently-completed Extraordinary Synod of 2014, extraordinary things did happen, in the "Oh, wow!" sense of the word. And if this year's Extraordinary Synod was a preview of the Synod for which it was to set the agenda, the Ordinary Synod of 2015, that Synod, too, promises to be, well, extraordinary.

The recent Extraordinary Synod of Bishops garnered the attention of the media, but for the wrong reasons. The Catholic Church will not be discussing same-sex marriages as some reports have stated, and the topic of people who have divorced and remarried receiving Holy Communion needs more discernment.

This month, the Vatican will gather bishops from around the world to discuss the theme of "pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization," including the challenge of promoting Catholic teachings in societies where the traditional family may not be so traditional.

Pope Francis gives us words of wisdom nearly every day. Bishop Richard Malone shares some of these words in "Consider This" ...

Bishop Richard J. Malone delivered a keynote address to respect life coordinators that clarified Pope Francis' position on life issues. He also stated his views in no uncertain terms. "I believe that the primal evil in our time is the assault on unborn life," the bishop said during a Sept. 6 inservice held at the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo.

Just about a month ago, Pope Francis created quite a stir when he sent out a tweet that said, "Inequality is the root of social evil." Two things happened. First, this was re-tweeted more than 17,000 times, and secondly, there was a great hue and cry from some corners about the over-simplification of economics by the pope, or at least that he was confusing.

The pope can be defined as the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. The history of the papacy spans from the time of St. Peter to the present day.

Pope Francis is advocating for the Church to make a shift from maintenance to mission. Certainly, such a shift will upset the way we do business. Perhaps this will be felt nowhere more than in a parish's approach to adult faith formation. At Immaculate Conception Church in East Aurora they are making this shift, addressing the profound faith questions of their people, discovering new enthusiasm, and seeing a growing sense of purpose in the whole parish.

Pope Francis has been much in the news with quotes and anecdotal descriptions since his election last March. For a more complete picture, a biography has recently been published by a Western New York native.

The fact that Time magazine chose Pope Francis from among some other very, very compelling possibilities as Person of the Year reveals the worldwide acclaim the man is achieving and the acceptance and the fascination.

PORTLAND---Pope Francis has appointed the Most Rev. Robert P. Deeley, J.C.D., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, as the 12th Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

I doubt that Pope Francis has heard of Ernie Banks, the Hall of Fame shortstop. But like "Mr. Cub," whose love for baseball led him to exclaim "Let's play two!" before Sunday doubleheaders in the 1950s, the pope from the end of the world seems to think that papal canonizations are better in tandem: hence the recent announcement that Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II will be canonized together on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014.

Bishop Richard J. Malone speaks about Church reform and Pope Francis in a new "Consider This."

Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, Bishop of Buffalo and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, welcomes the new Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, released the following statement on the election of Pope Francis: