Pope Francis made a surprise visit on Oct. 4 to the town of Amatrice in Italy, recently devastated by an earthquake, and told survivors there: “From the first moment” of the tremblor on Aug. 24, “I felt the need to be here.”

Pope Francis and the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, together charged 19 pairs of Catholic and Anglican bishops to return to their home countries and work together to promote joint prayer, joint proclamation of the Gospel and especially joint works of charity and justice.

Catholic charities around the world are advocating on behalf of children victims in Syria.

One C9 cardinal told me recently, “Pope Francis truly believes in a collegial style of government; we see this clearly in our meetings."

"Humility never comes without humiliation. And we see Jesus humiliated on the cross,” said Francis.

Cardinal-designate Ernest Simoni will be one of 17 prelates elevated to cardinal in a consistory on Nov. 19 at the Vatican.