Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations

Pope Francis met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose right-wing, anti-immigrant policies clash with Francis' call for countries to welcome refugees. Francis discussed refugees and anti-Semitism in Budapest.

"Here, in this place, the name of God was dishonored," Pope Francis said at a Holocaust memorial in Bratislava. During World War II, Slovakia was governed by a Nazi puppet regime, headed by Catholic priest Jozef Tiso.

Archbishop Stefan Hesse was on leave after being accused of neglecting his duty in a report on sexual abuse at the diocese of Cologne.

In his Angelus prayer, Pope Francis deplores the "terrible outbreak of violence" in the prison of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where at least 118 inmates died - including six beheaded - in rioting among rival gangs before police regained control.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said the Catholic Church needs to be more transparent about abuse scandals. He and the pope also criticized a lack of coherent EU immigration policy with regard to refugees.

The global minimum tax is supposed to bring tax justice. But not even half of Africa's countries are on board. Kenya and Nigeria have backed out amid uncertainty over how much the measures would benefit poor countries.

Religious minorities in India have reported increased discrimination and violence since Narendra Modi took office in 2014. The pope wants to make an official trip to the South Asian nation, but has so far been shunned.

Rich nations pledged more than a decade ago to pay $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries cut their own emissions and reduce the already-felt impacts of climate change.

West African nations will close their borders with Mali, sever diplomatic ties and impose tough economic sanctions in response to its delay in holding elections following a 2020 military coup, the 15-state regional bloc said on Sunday.

Pope Francis delivered on the reforms promised years ago by allowing any baptized Catholic — man or woman — to lead major departments at the Vatican.

Pope Francis took an elevator to board his flight to Malta to "avoid unnecessary strain." The trip to Malta comes one day after he apologized to Canada's indigenous communities for abuses at residential schools there.

The first day of Ramadan brought hope to Yemen with the start of a two-month truce. But a few days in, warring sides have already traded accusations of ceasefire violations. Nonetheless, the fragile truce offers the best hope in years for ending what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Now in its eighth year, the war in Yemen has killed nearly 400,000 people and left millions on the brink of famine. For more on this story, we speak to Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a senior research fellow at Oxford University.