Pope Francis

COMMENTARY Pope Francis has suggested the church can bless same-sex unions — a reconsideration of Catholic teaching that reflects gay marriage's rise in Latin America.

Pope Francis met with Indigenous leaders and survivors of Canada's residential schools this week. He had expressed sorrow in the past on behalf of the church, but this is the first formal apology.

Francis says individuals have a responsibility to care for themselves "and this translates into respect for the health of those around us."

Biden is the second Catholic U.S. president, and his faith is central in his public image. The pastor at a D.C. church where the president worships tells NPR that Biden has felt supported by Francis.

The pope spoke about a report released Tuesday that estimated some 330,000 French children were abused by clergy and other church authority figures dating back to 1950.

From the balcony of a tenth-floor window, the 84-year-old pope gave a blessing and spoke of the importance of free and accessible health care.

The Vatican said the 84-year-old pope had been diagnosed with "symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon," a reference to a narrowing in the large intestine.

Francis urged political and religious officials to work toward "healing and reconciliation," but he did not formally apologize for the church's role in the forced reeducation of 150,000 children.

The first major revision of Catholic canon law in nearly four decades redefines clerical sex abuse and mandates specific punishments. It also sets punishments for the attempted ordination of women.

The pope spent the third day of his visit in the north of the country, where the Christian population is dwindling. He also prayed for the ethnic minority Yazidis, who were brutally targeted by ISIS.

Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., is among 13 church leaders who will be elevated to cardinal at a ceremony at the Vatican next month.