Reflecting on the reading during his daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis says that hypocrisy kills, and that learning to accuse ourselves and to open up to the Lord can cure us of it.

Speaking about Catholic schools, the Pope writes in "Christus vivit" that the culture needs to know how "to integrate the knowledge of head, heart and hands". "It occurred to me that this is what pilgrimage means", echoes Michal Klosowski, a young person from Czestochowa in Poland who is familiar with this territory. Head, heart and hands "plus a pair of walking shoes" and "we can spread the Gospel".

Mozambicans voted on Tuesday, 15 Oct., in presidential, provincial and legislative elections that could test a fragile two-month-old peace agreeement between the ruling Frelimo party, and its old civil war foe turned opposition rival, Renamo.

As the Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region begins its 2nd week of work, we take a look at the vast beauty of the Amazon River Basin and the Church’s mission there.

During the 10th General Congregation which took place on the afternoon of 14 October, the participants in the Special Amazon Synod continued their work. In addition to Pope Francis, there were 177 Synod Fathers present, as well as other auditors, experts and invited guests.

On the sidelines of the Synod for the Amazon, Cardinal Peter Turkson speaks of the need to include those who belong to the Amazonian peripheries in integral human development.

Four participants at the Synod for the Amazon met journalists in the Holy See Press Office on Monday afternoon for an exchange of experiences and impressions regarding the 9th General Congregation.

In an interview to Vatican News, the Commander of the Gendarmerie, Domenico Giani, expresses his gratitude to the Pope for the service he has been able to carry out in the Vatican.

Domenico Giani, the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie, tendered his resignation on Monday, which Pope Francis accepted, calling his gesture “an expression of freedom and institutional sensitivity.”

The ninth General Congregation marked the beginning of the second of three weeks of the Special Synod for the Amazon Region, which will end on October 27th. This morning there were 179 Synod Fathers present. Together with the Pope, they prayed for Ecuador.

Botswana’s 23 October national polls are being described as a “high-stakes general election.” In this peaceful and sparsely populated country, the Bishop of Gaborone is encouraging citizens to vote for candidates who prioritise the common good.

Pope Francis prays for the people of Ecuador as violent clashes between riot police and demonstrators leave many dead, wounded or arrested .

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Davao on October 8 ordered the permanent closure of 55 Lumad schools in Davao area.

Ecuador`s National Indigenous Confederation says it`s agreed to hold talks with the Government that has removed fuel subsidies, which has been met with huge nationwide protests.

Historian Donald Prudlo says the canonisation is a definitive affirmation of what St John Henry Newman means for the Church.

Pope Francis says he is concerned by the social unrest in Ecuador and calls for peace and attention towards the most vulnerable.

Pope Francis appeals for honest and transparent dialogue to solve the current military crisis in northeast Syria.

Pope Francis presides over the canonizations of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sister Marian Thresia, Sister Giuseppina Vannini, Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, and Marguerite Bays. In his homily, the Pope reflects on the Gospel account of the lepers, and on the verbs “to cry out, to walk, to give thanks”.

The first week of the three-week Special Synod for the Pan-Amazon region concluded on Saturday evening, 12 October. Along with the Pope, there were 166 Synod Fathers in the hall, along with others participating in the Synod.

On Day 6 of the Synod for the Amazon, journalists and Synod participants gather in the Holy See Press Office to share impressions and answer questions concerning the main themes under discussion.