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There continues to be debates about the conditions and limits to be set for the reception of migrants, not only on the level of national policies, but also in some parish communities, whose traditional tranquility seems to be threatened, Pope Francis said.

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Marita Thomas was among those in the crowd at the Festival of Families Sept. 26 who were moved to tears as they listened to families selected to come onstage to tell Pope Francis how they coped with hardship by clinging to God.

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Christian families in the Holy Land bear their daily suffering with hope, knowing that the cross is the cost of following Christ, said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Acknowledging the real challenges and burdens the U.S. bishops face in their ministry, Pope Francis shared with them his own experience as a pastor and urged them to keep their eyes focused on Jesus and their hearts open to others.

HAVANA (CNS) — Pope Francis began his visit to Cuba praying for greater freedom for the island’s people and calling on U.S. and Cuban politicians to continue moving toward fully normal and neighborly relations.

More than 12 million people in Syria and more than 8 million people in Iraq are in need of humanitarian aid with some 10 million displaced, according to the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican office that coordinates Catholic charitable giving.

Catholic aid agencies have urged Europeans not to turn against migrants seeking refuge from Syria and other countries, in what media reports describe as the continent's greatest refugee movement since World War II.

Shocking images of bodies washed up on beaches in the Mediterranean — including one of a drowned Syrian boy lying face down — are revealing “the human face of this suffering," Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said.

A one-stop shop for quality higher education in social work is on the way. An agreement between a small, four-year Catholic college and the area’s largest public community college among a 10-campus system will come to life when its first cohort of students begin class in a few weeks. The College of St. Scholastica forged a partnership with Mesa Community College to strengthen its Arizona presence and offer continuity for social work students interested in pursuing a four-year degree.

Along with having a winning smile and a warm embrace, Pope Francis is known for challenging people.