The Catholic Church must do a better job instructing priests on what to do if a victim recounts his or her abuse in the confessional and in the unlikely case that an abuser confesses, said Hans Zollner, S.J.

“Journalism is not so much a matter of choosing a profession,” the pope said, “but rather of embarking on a mission, a bit like a doctor, who studies and works to cure evil in the world.”

The pope sent a letter of thanks to Michael O'Loughlin, America's national correspondent, this summer after receiving an advance copy of “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.”

With a pilgrim’s staff and mantle, Pope Francis entered Assisi’s Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels with 500 economically or socially disadvantaged people.

World leaders are running out of time and must address the challenges of climate change before it’s too late, Pope Francis said.

Released late Nov. 9, the 18th annual report from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection stated that 3,924 child sexual abuse survivors filed 4,228 allegations.