The Vatican

Pope Francis overcame concerns about his health to preside over Easter Sunday Mass, leading tens of thousands of people in a flower-decked St. Peter's Square.

He is remembered as a staunch conservative who opposed modernizing reforms and as the first pope to step down since the 15th century.

The head of the church in San Francisco has said the House Speaker can't receive the sacrament there because of her abortion rights support, but Pope Francis has avoided politicizing the Eucharist.

AP journalists saw a car with Francis sitting in the front passenger seat leaving Rome's Gemelli Polytechnic hospital on Wednesday morning.

For a long time, the Catholic Church rejected scientific findings that conflicted with its doctrine, even persecuting Galileo. Now the Vatican looks to promote its observatory as a bridge to science.

Pope Francis decreed that all bishops and cardinals can be tried if suspected of criminal behavior. He also banned Vatican employees from accepting gifts amounting to more than 40 euros (about $48).

The new rules are also aimed at shutting down the churches "envelope" culture — requiring a limit on the value of gifts that cardinals and managers can receive.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Robert Sarah as head of the Vatican's liturgy department. The Vatican did not provide a reason for the removal of the outspoken conservative.

"Vaccines for all, especially for the most vulnerable and needy of all regions of the planet," Pope Francis said at the Vatican on a subdued Christmas Day.

A Vatican investigation into church leaders' failings that allowed the rise of a now-disgraced former U.S. cardinal has led some Catholics to call for "difficult reckoning" with the sainted pope.