The “wooden cross” Pope Francis was holding during his pontifical visit to South America, which includes Ecuador, Bolivia and Uruguay, drew the attention of media outlets.

The simple wooden cross (crozier) which the Pope holds is similar to the cane of the shepherd, being far from being made of gold or jewels. The Pope entered Samanes Park, in the city of Guayaquil of Ecuador, to celebrate his first Mass in his South American continent, which is not far from his native country, Argentina, to find out that his “cross’’ because the centre of inquiry. Where did you get it from?

“It’s an error of mine,” said Pope Francis yesterday, en route from his visit to South America back to the Vatican. The Pope’s in-flight media conferences have become a genre in themselves, a vivid example of the “New Evangelization,” and journalists have learned to expect the casual bombshell. His comment “Who am I to judge?” referring to gay priests, was first uttered during one of these conversations.

Commenting on Francis’ trip to Latin America, the Vatican spokesman said: the right perspective in order to work out that what urgently needs to change is attention to the “poor”

A well-intentioned argument is developing among some Westerners, urging the evacuation of Christians from the Middle East. These Westerners reason that because no one will defend the Middle Eastern Christians, they should be resettled elsewhere.

Such an approach is naive at best, and complicit at worst, accomplishing the religious cleansing desired by ISIS. Here are five reasons why Christians should not be removed from the birthplace of their faith:

1. Evacuation would be based on bad logic

(Translated by Moneer Bayouk)

Thank you for performing Ave Maria at St. Peter's Square by responding to the associations of spiritual renovation that met this year to pray, dedicating their prayers to those persecuted in the Orient for their faith.

With a sister who is a Doctor of the Church and parents set to be canonized in October, Leonia Martin could be the fourth member of her family declared as a saint after her own cause for canonization was recently launched.

Yesterday morning, Leonia’s cause was officially opened by Bishop Jean-Claude Boulanger of Bayeux-Lisieux in the chapel of the Visitation Monastery at Caen, France, where Leonia spent the majority of her life and where she died. Mass was celebrated following the cause opening.

In the first speech of his apostolic visit, Pope Francis reiterated that "no one else but Jesus shines of His own light". He presented Latin America too with the image of a Church that is not self-sufficient because it is always dependent on the grace of Christ

Upon his arrival in Quito, Francis called for “differences” to be appreciated and participation without exclusion to be endorsed, in order to ensure “the steps forward in the direction of progress and development guarantee a better future for everyone”. But he also sent a message to the Church, calling for it to help the poor more

Francis is on his way to Latin America where he will visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay: Poor countries that are struggling to better their conditions after years of military dictatorship and political and economic instability