Pope Francis continues implementing changes in the Vatican and his latest decision was to redirect money from traditional bonuses to 4,500 city state employees and use it for charity purposes.

"I don't think there will be any bonus," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, as reported by The Telegraph.

"Extra expenses are something that might be normal in a situation of abundance, but that is not the world we find ourselves in now. It didn't seem possible or appropriate to burden the Vatican's budget with a considerable, unforeseen extra expense." more >>

The Vatican has declared the 1999 sudden recovery of a Colorado Springs boy a miracle. The declaration places a German nun, who is considered responsible for the healing, on the path to sainthood.

Luke Burgie, now 18 years old, was only four when he suddenly developed a severe gastrointestinal condition in 1998, which doctors couldn't explain or offer any remedies for. For the next six months, he suffered violent episodes of diarrhea eight to 10 times a day; he stopped growing and started wasting away.

"He was the sickest child or person I'd ever been around," Jan Burgie, his mother, said. more >>

In his most recent Sunday sermon, Pope Francis addressed the topic of the persecuted church, a gesture which suggests that perhaps the new pontiff will focus part of his holy career on helping the millions of persecuted Christians throughout the world.

"Let us pray especially for Christians who suffer persecution," he said during his sermon on the third Sunday of Easter at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy, in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 Christians.

The pope then proceeded to draw a comparison between the persecution Jesus' apostles endured to the persecution of modern-day Christians. more >>

The Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark the Apostle, H.H. Pope Tawadros II, accused Egyptian security forces for failing to prevent the sectarian attacks at El-Khosos and St. Mark's Cathedral.

Tawadros II stated that security forces came up short in performing their duties since it was possible to contain the situation, but that a state of unrest and idleness in Egypt fostered, allowing the horrific attack to take place.

He noted that this is the first time in Egypt's history that the Coptic Orthodox Church's headquarters has been assaulted. more >>

Pope Francis has stated that the Church should "act decisively" with regards to the issue of sexual abuse within the Church, insisting those found guilty should be punished to ensure the safety of children.

Bishop Gerhard Mueller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith that oversees the investigation related to clerical sex abuse cases, held a meeting with Pope Francis' and was told to continue to root out abusive behavior within the Church.

"Act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty," read a Vatican statement revealing the nature of the Pope's Message to Bishop Mueller. more >>

Pope Francis has already established himself as a pontiff not afraid to break from tradition, and many are saying he is giving women unprecedented recognition within the church.

"Women play a primary, fundamental role in the Bible," the pope told thousands of pilgrims at an audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Reuters reported. "The evangelists simply narrate what happened: the women were the first witnesses. This tells us that God does not choose according to human criteria."

"The disciples had a harder time believing but not the women," the Roman Catholic Church leader reminded the people, referring to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Women in the Church have had and have a special role in opening the doors to the Lord, in following him, in communicating his message." more >>