"Faith is not an escape from life's problems but sustains it along the journey and gives it meaning," Pope Francis said.

The Vatican has appointed an apostolic visitor to investigate claims by Indonesian priests that their bishop had a mistress and misappropriated church funds.

"The real thing is that at this moment China and (the) pope have a very good relation," said Argentine Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the pontifical academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences.

Senior Catholic sources told ucanews.com that Pope Francis would arrive in Myanmar Nov. 27 for four nights.

The complaints detail alleged attacks from 1955 through 1994 and claim some religious leaders knew of the exploitation and ignored it. 

The Vatican urged Maduro "to suspend ongoing initiatives such as the new Constituent Assembly, which, rather than fostering reconciliation and peace, encourages a climate of tension and confrontation and mortgages the future."