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In a surprise move, Pope Francis on December 8 appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila as the head of Propaganda Fide, the major Vatican department for evangelization. It’s a move that emphasizes this pontificate’s efforts to highlight the global dimension of the church and taps the cardinal as a possible successor.

At 62, Cardinal Tagle will oversee all of the Catholic missions in the world, a natural transition from his current ap­pointment as president of the global Catholic charity Caritas Internationalis.

Pope Francis’s view on nuclear weapons can be summed up in a few simple words.

Just say no.

The use and possession of weapons should be made “immoral” under official Catholic teaching, Francis told reporters aboard the papal plane November 26, taking a new step in the Vatican’s approach to this issue.

He also expressed reservations concerning the use of nuclear energy.