"'Look, Lord, I belonged to this association; I was a friend of that bishop, of that cardinal, of that priest.' No, titles do not count; they do not count."

The pope told his security detail to "let her be. God speaks" through children.

Pope Francis will visit Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius in his September trip, writes Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell, all former colonies facing development challenges.

The revised statutes are meant to ensure that the Vatican Bank conducts its business solely for “the works of religion and of charity.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis warned of “sovereignism” as a force that leads to isolation and even war, and he discussed the ecological imperatives of the Synod on the Amazon.