By Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced Feb. 5 that Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of Congress Sept. 24. The pontiff’s “historic visit” would make him the “first leader of the Holy See to address a joint meeting of Congress,” Boehner said in …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — After decades of debate within the church, Pope Francis formally recognized that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed “in hatred of the faith” and not for purely political reasons. Pope Francis signed the decree Feb. 3, recognizing as martyrdom the March …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — In an effort to help bolster a minority Catholic population and encourage dialogue and friendship among once-warring ethnic and religious communities, Pope Francis announced he would be visiting Bosnia-Herzegovina. The pope said he hoped the one-day trip June 6 to Sarajevo, …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph For JohnPaul Hennessey, a 19-year-old college seminarian from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, a trip to the Holy Land and Rome became a more memorable experience than he ever expected when he and his classmates were given the opportunity to serve Midnight Mass with Pope …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — When their lives are all work and no play, men turn their children into “orphans” who lack a father to guide them, show them love and teach them values, Pope Francis said. “They are orphans in a family because their fathers …

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — Addressing the Vatican tribunal primarily responsible for hearing requests for marriage annulments, Pope Francis said all annulment processes should be free of charge. “The sacraments are free. The sacraments give us grace. And a matrimonial process pertains to the sacrament …

By Ann Schneible CNA/EWTN News  VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has rejected the “simplistic” belief that large families are among the causes of poverty, stressing that economic systems which create a culture of waste are to blame. “Families know they are essential to the life of society,” the Pope said …

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service  ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MANILA — Pope Francis said his September trip to the U.S. will take him to Philadelphia, New York and Washington — where he intends to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra — but probably no other stops. Pope Francis made …

CNA/EWTN News MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Pope departed the Philippines Monday morning from Villamor Air Base at a farewell ceremony where over 400 abandoned children from various welfare centers performed songs to bid him farewell. “Pope Francis, we love you!” they said in a coordinated chant.

CNA/EWTN News Pope Francis took the opportunity during an address to families in the Philippines to praise Blessed Pope Paul VI’s encyclical opposing contraception and affirming Church teaching on sexuality and human life. The Pope spoke Friday to families gathered at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila during his …