"I want a church that is open, understanding, that accompanies families who are hurting," Pope Francis said.

The retired pope has given another interview to the journalist and author Peter Seewald.

During his trip to Poland for World Youth Day, Pope Francis will go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. He said he wants to go alone and say nothing.

The superior general of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X said Pope Francis, rather than denouncing errors in Catholic doctrine, has "encouraged" them."The Society of St. Pius X prays and does penance for the pope, that he might have the strength to proclaim Catholic faith and

The site—www.laudatosi.va—"witnesses not only to the impact of the encyclical, but also the creativity and generosity of the people of God everywhere in the world."

“A large majority of sacramental marriages are null. They say 'yes, for my whole life,' but they do not know what they are saying.”

Church leaders who decide not to attend, he said, bear responsibility for reneging on their commitment to realizing "this vision held over many years, which all our churches cherish, to declare and proclaim the unity of our Orthodox Church."

Opening the Year of Mercy jubilee celebration for the sick and persons with disabilities, Redemptorist Father Cyril Axelrod insisted sign language, tactile sign language and body language are "gifts of the Holy Spirit."

Catholics and Lutherans are finding common ground in what Cardinal Kasper described as "the original, fundamental" emphasis of Martin Luther, "which is the Gospel of grace and mercy and a call to conversion and renewal."

"The difficulty or the challenge," he said, is "to listen, to be careful about what's going on, to understand, to exercise dialogue...to discover the beauty, the richness of the culture of the people."