Francis: Just as God derives no pleasure from "the blood of bulls and lambs" slaughtered in his name, he is especially averse to offerings from hands dirty with the blood of another human being.

The paper said it was also a "positive sign" when Michael Sugar, the movie's producer, said he hoped the film would "resonate all the way to the Vatican."

Calling the accusations "without foundation and utterly false," the cardinal "strongly denies any wrongdoing.

Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican secretary for relations with states, attended the Syria Donors Conference in London Feb. 4 and said the Catholic Church would continue to help the region through its fundraising efforts.

Use the power of communication to build bridges and heal wounds, not generate hatred or misunderstanding, Pope Francis said. The Catholic Church, too, must proclaim the truth and denounce injustice without alienating everyone in need of God's help, he said in his message for World Communica

"He wanted to visit the sanctuary and places where St. Francis, on Christmas Eve in 1223, represented the first living Nativity in history," Bishop Domenico Pompili of Rieti told ANSA, the Italian news agency.

European finance experts said the Vatican has addressed "most of the technical deficiencies in its legislation and regulations... However, there is a need now for the anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing system to deliver effective results in terms of prosecutions, convictions and confiscation" of criminal assets.

Building peace, he said, is not accomplished by words alone, but through the grace of God.

The Vatican announced details about the pope's Feb. 12-17 trip to Mexico, during which he will stop in six cities, including two in the state of Chiapas and—across from El Paso, Texas—Ciudad Juarez, which just five years ago was considered the "murder capital of the world" as drug cartels disputed a trafficking corridor.

Pope Francis is inviting people to strike out on a yearlong spiritual journey to recognize a loving God who's already knocking on their door. He says he wants the Year of Mercy to usher in a "revolution of tenderness."