Bishop Richard J. Malone is one of three who have been chosen to go to Washington, DC, and respond to the Pope's Exhortation on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Malone is the Chairman of USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis on Wednesday offered a special blessing for Mother Angelica following her death on Easter Sunday, expressing his confidence that she is already in heaven.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his Urbi et Orbi message for Easter, Pope Francis encouraged victims of terrorism and Christian persecution to find hope in the Lord's resurrection.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Palm Sunday Pope Francis said the path toward salvation can be summed up by humility and service, and encouraged pilgrims to contemplate Jesus' shameful Passion and Death throughout Holy Week.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis renewed his appeal on behalf of the tens of thousands struggling to enter other countries as they flee war and violence, asking global leaders to "open their hearts" and doors to migrants and refugees.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After months of anticipation, the date of Mother Teresa's canonization has finally been announced. It falls on Sept. 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his Ash Wednesday homily, Pope Francis said that Lent is the perfect time to let go of selfish and indifferent attitudes, returning to God with the help of prayer, penance and acts of charity.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - When God is described in the Bible as being both merciful and just it can seem like an identity crisis, however Pope Francis said it's the opposite: rather than contradicting each other, the two actually go hand in hand.

Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora will host a unique opportunity to see many sites of historical significance in Europe from June 12-23, 2016. The pilgrimage is courtesy of Nawas International, a company that has arranged Christian pilgrimages to Europe and the Holy Land for the last 66 years.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his general audience during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis focused on the common baptism Christians share, saying the strength of this bond is stronger than existing divisions.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis launched a new series of catechesis on mercy for his general audiences, telling pilgrims that the love and forgiveness of God can't be overcome by anything, including our sin.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Sunday Pope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sistine Chapel, telling parents to nurture the faith in the lives of their children, because it is the greatest inheritance they can give.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a restless age when humanity fails to find the answer to their continuous searching, the Magi who go out looking for Christ only to find him in a humble stable in Bethlehem are a key example of where to turn, Pope Francis has said.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After months of anticipation, the miracle allowing for the canonization of Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta has officially been approved by the Vatican, though as of now no specific date for the event has been given.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis has officially commenced the Jubilee of Mercy, calling those who pass through the newly-opened Holy Door to rediscover God's mercy and experience the mystery of his love.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Despite rumors that a date has been set for Mother Teresa's canonization, the Holy See Press Office told CNA Wednesday that the cause for sainthood has not concluded, and no date has been officially set.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Amid questions over whether European nations will reevaluate their migrant policies in the wake of Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, Pope Francis offered a reminder over the weekend that refugees are more than statistics: they are children of God, each with his or her own inherent dignity.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - For Pope Francis the dinner table is a key place to strengthen family bonds and foster a sense of "togetherness," which he said can often be thwarted by an excess attachment to technology.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Though letting go of yourself and living for others can make you seem weak in the eyes of the world, Pope Francis said that this is the purpose of our lives, and that in the logic of God, it's what makes us truly victorious.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - With a two-thirds majority vote, the more than 200 bishops gathered for the Vatican's synod on the family supported Church teaching on hot-button issues such as homosexuality and communion for divorced and remarried persons.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis Sunday officially brought the Synod on the Family to a close at Mass in St. Peter's, warning against a "spirituality of illusion," and reminding pastors of their duty to accompany the faithful and be bearers of God's mercy especially in times of suffering and conflict.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Sunday Pope Francis canonized four new saints, whose greatest legacy he said was their tireless imitation of Jesus in humble service to others, which is something each of us are asked to emulate.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Numerous bishops voiced alarm over the lack of a clear definition of marriage in the synod's controversial guiding text, prompting a call for one based on scripture and Church teaching to be added.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis opened this Wednesday's general audience by apologizing for unspecified scandals that have recently arisen in the Vatican.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Married couples who endure hardships together; gay men and women trying to live chastely; engaged couples who choose not to cohabitate. What do all these people have in common?

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Despite the significant differences among the 13 small groups that are discussing the working document at the Synod on the Family, the majority are in agreement that gender ideology poses a serious challenge for families in the modern world.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Mercy has emerged as a major theme in the synod of bishops, as discussion has moved forward with many participants emphasizing that while mercy is greatly needed, it must always be linked to truth.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Glass cases with the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, will be displayed in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for the entirety of the Synod on the Family, Oct. 4-25.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In an unexpected speech at the synod on Tuesday, Pope Francis has stated that this gathering is in continuity with 2014 synod, which he said never called into question the Church's teaching on marriage.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After meeting with Pope Francis earlier this morning Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Pope met with Kim Davis and her husband as part of a large group invited by the nunciature.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis told journalists on board his flight to Rome that giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics is a "simplistic" solution to the issue, and stressed that there are also other problems that need to be discussed.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a 47 minute Q&A with journalists on his way back to Rome Pope Francis touched on sensitive topics such as forgiving abusers and conscientious objection, as well as the upcoming synod of bishops and women's ordination.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis told couples to defend God's design for the family as the union of a man and woman for the procreation of children, and urged them to be merciful to those whose marriages have failed.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - By reforming the process for discovering the nullity of marriage on Tuesday, mere weeks before the beginning of October's Synod on the Family, Pope Francis has taken that issue out of the hands of the synod fathers.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a reformed marriage annulment process, Pope Francis has made significant changes, giving more of a role to the local bishop, dropping automatic appeals, and declaring the process free of charge.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Benedict XVI considers the quest for God to be contemporary society's foremost challenge, according to one of the emeritus Pope's former students, who has organized the annual meeting of Ratzinger's students to discuss that very topic.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Delivering his weekly Angelus address in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Francis said that while everyone feels shame before going to Confession, this grace helps us to be open to God's forgiveness.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - During his Mass for the feast of SS. Peter and Paul on Monday, Pope Francis called on the Church's new archbishops to be courageous witnesses who are not ashamed of Christ, and who are convinced by what they themselves teach.

WASHINGTON - Pope Francis' apostolic journey to the United States is "a source of joy and gratitude," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the release of the full visit schedule by the Vatican, June 30. Pope Francis will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia, September 22-27. His visit will include addresses to Congress and the United Nations, the canonization of Blessed Junípero Serra and will culminate in his participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - The document set to guide this year's synod discussions on the family touches on hot-button issues such as homosexuality and divorced and remarried couples, stressing that mercy is something every family needs from the Church.