The United Nations is preparing to embark on talks to ban nuclear weapons.Negotiations are set to begin in March and are expected to take an indefinite time to complete.The end result is uncertain, but the 123 nations that voted on Oct. 27 for a resolution within the U.N. General Assembly committee

"The problem that we have today, not only in society but also in the church, is that we've become too polarized," Cardinal Kevin Farrell, an Irish-born prelate who was bishop of Dallas before taking over a Vatican department on family life earlier this year, told America.

Dante, praised by Pope Francis as a "prophet of hope," beautifully conveys the spirit of the Year of Mercy.

Pope Francis said the visit with women rescued from human trafficking and his visit to a neonatal ward were stands out in a Year of Mercy.

"The image of an island is a very beautiful one and is very significant. It is a place of refuge from waters that are turbulent, a refuge for those people who have the courage to approach it from any side."

Pope Francis is calling on Catholics to usher in a cultural revolution of mercy.