Francis said that at his stage of life one has to move even faster.

Sao Paulo Cardinal Odilo Scherer said his predecessor "gave his life to God after having generously dedicated it to his brothers in this world."

For some, El Salvador was a shameful episode, in which Washington backed the perpetrators of a death squad bloodbath in a failed attempt to militarily defeat a homegrown leftist insurgency.

The church is now recognizing what the local church in Central and South America has always known.

After four torturous years of negotiations, a stunning referendum rejection, last-minute compromises and two signing ceremonies, Colombia has ratified a peace deal.

Within half an hour of the Cuban government's announcement Saturday of the death of the 90-year-old revolutionary leader, cheers were heard in Miami's Little Havana.