Pope Francis expressed his solidarity and closeness with Catholics in Nigeria after gunmen stormed a church and reportedly killed at least 50 people during a Pentecost Mass.

Julia Greeley, a paragon of humility and charity in the 19th and early 20th centuries, was born into slavery. Now she is poised to become one of the first African American saints.

Pope Francis sent well-wishes to Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning British monarch began the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of her coronation.

With the appointment of 16 new cardinal electors, Pope Francis continues remaking the College of Cardinals with an emphasis on the person rather than the location of the bishop.

Police say someone busted into the altar at a New York City church, stole a $2 million gold relic and removed the head from a statue of an angel at some point late last week.

“Being close to the created world is a way of being close to the creator, and that’s why sciences played such an important role in the apostolates of the Jesuits,” said the director of the Vatican Observatory.