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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis sent a message to apostolic nuncios Thursday informing his ambassadors that they have a responsibility as papal representatives not to criticize the pope or to join groups hostile to the Roman curia.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis told Jesuits in Romania that tensions and struggles within the church have left it wounded and that the only path forward is through humble dialogue, not futile arguments. "This is not the time to convince, to have discussions," he said. "If someone has a sincere doubt, yes, one can dialogue, clarify. But don't respond to the attacks."

VATICAN CITY - Faced with a climate emergency, the world must act immediately to mitigate global warming and avoid committing "a brutal act of injustice" on the poor and future generations, Pope Francis told a group of energy and oil executives and global investors.

VATICAN CITY - Christians must not underestimate the importance of embracing and assisting the poor, oppressed and outcast, Pope Francis said.

By virtue of their baptism, all Catholics are called to be missionaries, sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus by their actions and their words, Pope Francis said.

Without the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Christians lack that which animates them and gives them internal life and harmony, Pope Francis said on Pentecost.

The world needs an ecological “conversion” in order to manifest the Church’s vision of an integral human ecology, Pope Francis said in an address to a conference on the social teaching of the Church.

Too often when Catholics try to talk to young people about vocational discernment, "it's as if we were speaking Esperanto to them, because they don't understand a thing," Pope Francis said.

BLAJ, Romania – The memory and witness of Romania’s martyred bishops are a reminder that Christians are called to stand firm against ideologies that seek to stifle and suppress their cultural and religious traditions, Pope Francis said.

In his first Mass in Romania, Pope Francis recalled the witness of countless Catholics in the country who held on to hope and trusted God amid persecution.

At a Marian shrine in the heart of Transylvania, Pope Francis called on Romania's Catholics to leave resentments behind and to embark on a journey of unity.

VATICAN CITY - Nearly a year later, Pope Francis denied claims made by a former apostolic nuncio to the United States who accused him and other church officials of failing to act on accusations of abuse of conscience and power by former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. "I knew nothing, obviously, of McCarrick," the pope said. "Nothing, nothing."

VATICAN CITY - Charity should be given freely and lived humbly with the poor, never letting it become hypocrisy, a slick business or a way to soothe a troubled conscience, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY - "Abortion is never the answer" to couples seeking a way to deal with a prenatal diagnosis of serious illness or disability, Pope Francis said.

In his message the pope said, "The most economically advanced societies are witnessing a growing trend toward extreme individualism which, combined with a utilitarian mentality and reinforced by the media, is producing a 'globalization of indifference.'"

With so many children in the world needing a good home and so many couples unable to have children, there must be a way to make adoption easier and less costly, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable in protecting minors as well as in protecting members of religious orders and seminarians from abuse.

In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta in Vatican City on May 10, Pope Francis invited Christians to be docile to the voice of the Lord, after the model of St. Paul.

Paul had incarcerated and killed Christians “with a fire inside him," but “as soon as he heard the voice of the Lord, he became like a child, letting himself be led,” Pope Francis said. Paul's docility after his conversion 'is an example for our life,” the pope said.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis told the heads of women's religious orders from around the world they need to send sisters on assignments that truly serve the church and those in need, and not agree to requests for "maids." ​​​"You did not become a religious in order to become the maid of a priest," he said to some 850 superiors general in Rome for their plenary assembly.