The great Jesuit missionary to China, Matteo Ricci, was declared "Venerable" by Pope Francis today, the first step on the path to canonization.

In a stunning move, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 78, has filed a lawsuit for defamation against a Canadian woman for making “unfounded accusations of alleged sexual assault” against him.

As the new prefect, Maximino Caballero Ledo becomes the second lay man to hold a top position in the Vatican.

Pope Francis called for overcoming polarization in the life of the Catholic Church in an exclusive interview with America magazine.

The appointment of Gleison De Paula Souza as secretary means that now three out of the four senior positions of responsibility at the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life are held by laypeople.

In his homily for the sixth World Day of the Poor, the pope advised Christians not to yield to resignation but instead to “seize opportunities” to spread the Gospel and help the weakest.

Pope Francis received James Martin, S.J., for the second time in private audience in the papal library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace this morning, Nov. 11.

“Even if you leave the ordination question aside for a moment, there is still a great need to explore ways of engaging women in all other levels of the life of the church in significant roles. There is still a lot of work to be done.”

In their first private one-on-one conversation, the president of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, S.D.B., told Pope Francis, “The church in Australia is alive!”

The pope will meet with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, at the interreligious meeting “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence."