Catholic News Service

A person hearing God's call to follow him does not mean that person then belongs to a special or privileged clique of the perfect or the "elected," Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis expressed his concern about concrete initiatives individual dioceses and the Catholic Church in Germany as a whole are taking, including the establishment of a synodal council. 

Whether simple or elaborate, the same every year or constantly changing, a Nativity scene echoes "the beauty of our faith," Pope Francis wrote.

The Catholic Church and all its members must end silence about clerical sexual abuse and ensure cases are no longer covered up, Pope Francis said, adding it is "non-negotiable."

The material, cultural and spiritual poverties that exist in the world are a "scandal" that Christians are called to address by putting their God-given capacity for charity and love into action, Pope Francis said.

The daily rhythm of the life of a priest should resemble "ping pong" -- praying on one's knees before the tabernacle, helping those in need and returning to prayer, Pope Francis told a group of Latino priests from the United States.

The holiness of individuals and families gives life to the entire Catholic community, Pope Francis said.

Often enough, the first people who need to be evangelized are Christians themselves, Pope Francis said.

World leaders must ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the people affected by the ongoing wars in Gaza and Sudan, Pope Francis said.

Releasing the schedule for the pope's trip Nov. 9, the Vatican said he would address the conference Dec. 2 and spend the rest of the day in "private bilateral meetings." The inauguration of the Faith Pavilion will be Dec. 3.

Calling violence against women a "poisonous weed" that must be eradicated, Pope Francis also told the media that their campaigns to stop the violence often are offset by the way they glorify a person's ability "to attract and dominate the other."

If it would not cause scandal or confusion among other Catholics, "a transsexual -- even one who has undergone hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery -- may receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful," said a document from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

As the wars, violence and deaths continue in Ukraine and in the Holy Land, Pope Francis again urged people to pray for peace.

The wars being fought in Gaza, Ukraine and other parts of the world are destroying the future of the children who live in those nations, Pope Francis said.

In an interview broadcast in Italy Nov. 1, the pope had said he intended to go to COP28 next month, but the Vatican did not confirm the trip until Nov. 3. Pope Francis will travel to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates Dec. 1-3 to participate in the U.N. Climate Change Conference, the Vatican press office confirmed.

God seeks and loves those who are humble because it allows him to be a part of their lives, Pope Francis said.

As the sun broke through the morning sky after a torrential downpour in Rome, Pope Francis was wheeled past dozens of gravestones that marked the final resting place of members of the military forces who died during and immediately after World War II.

In an hourlong interview with Italy's main news program, Pope Francis announced he would travel to Dubai in early December for the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP28.

Holiness is a gift everyone receives with baptism, and it is a journey to be made together with the help of the saints in heaven, Pope Francis said on the feast of All Saints.

Pope Francis regularly asks people to pray for him, and in October he jokingly told a group of nuns why: "This job is not easy; in fact, it's a bit bothersome."