From the Pope

Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to work together in taking care of creation.

Pope Francis thanked those who are dedicated to promoting life and defending conscientious objection.

Granting an exception to canon law, Pope Francis said the Vatican office that deals with religious orders can permit men's communities that are made up of both priests and brothers to choose one of the brothers to be a provincial superior or even the superior general.

Pope Francis praised the way people have faced the trials and losses in their lives with a firmness of faith in God's promises and love.

For politics to be "the highest form of charity," as Catholic social teaching promotes, it must be exercised with full respect and even love for those who disagree, Pope Francis said.

The steady decline of birthrates across Europe and the West are signs of a new form of poverty that deprives humanity of a future, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis said he is convinced God is calling his peers -- older Catholics -- to become "artisans of the revolution of tenderness."

The study and celebration of the liturgy should lead to a sense of awe before God, a commitment to mission and a growing unity within the Church, not tensions and squabbles, Pope Francis said.