VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Mercy — the cornerstone of Pope Francis’ teaching and ministry — must guide the Catholic Church through its period of mourning and the uncertainty that lies ahead, the Vatican’s second-ranking official…

ROME (CNS) — The casket bearing the body of Pope Francis made its final journey through the streets of Rome accompanied by applause and shouts of gratitude from thousands of mourners. After the funeral Mass…

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis was elected as the first Latin American pontiff, he said his brother cardinals went out of their way to pick someone from the “ends of the earth.” He…

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis was “a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, as he presided over the funeral…

ROME (CNS) — “The Virgin Mary told me, ‘Prepare the tomb.’” That is what Pope Francis said Mary told him when he was discerning whether to be buried in the historic Marian church where his…

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Given the late Pope Francis’ care and concern for the poor, a representative group of them has been formally invited to welcome his casket to Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major…