Pope Francis insisted Thursday that public officials live simply, honestly and transparently as he opened a visit to a Central American region that has been rife with corruption scandals and is now coping with political upheaval in nearby Venezuela.

The Trump administration on Friday will start forcing some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. courts, an official said, launching what could become one of the more significant changes to the immigration system in years.

Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Ky., wrote that in a newspaper column this week that he was "astonished" that students at the March for Life would be aligned with the "Make America Great Again" movement.

"Let us all pray for the conversion of heart for those who celebrate this tragic moment in the history of our state."

Soup lines are longer, more people depend on charities to get by, and more live on the streets or have joined the burgeoning populations of Argentina’s impoverished villas.

Panama’s President, Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, gave Pope Francis a very warm state welcome at the Presidential Palace located on the site of the original 1673 building. He welcomed him to this land “of peace and dialogue.”