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December 17th, 2014
09:47 PM ET
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What role did Pope Francis play in the breakthrough with Cuba?

Today is Pope Francis’ 78th birthday and he celebrated with the news of a new diplomatic era for the U.S. and Cuba. President Obama thanked him during his announcement and called the Pontif “the real deal.” How did Pope Francis use his moral authority to melt this diplomatic freeze? Anderson discussed this with Father Thomas Reese, Senior Analyst with the National Catholic Reporter.
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Filed under: Cuba • Pope Francis
December 3rd, 2013
01:10 AM ET
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Is the Pope Marxist?

Rush Limbaugh recently said comments by Pope Francis sounded "pure Marxism." The AC360 Later panel has plenty to say about this. Christiane Amanpour says the pope's remarks reflect "what we all learn in Catholic school" and aren't surprising in the least. Watch the debate.
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Filed under: AC360 Later • Alex Castellanos • Christiane Amanpour • Michaela Angela Davis • Peter Beinart • Pope Francis
November 26th, 2013
09:57 PM ET
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Pope Francis' new vision for the Church

Pope Francis is challenging church leaders to shift their focus back to the poor. In the first major document he’s written since becoming pontiff, Pope Francis writes:

"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security."

That's basically a call for leaders to get their shoes muddy and get involved in the lives of their parishioners, rather than spending too much time parsing church doctrine. CNN Senior Vatican Analyst John Allen has more.

One of the most powerful images of Pope Francis' papacy is his embrace of a severely disfigured man. It has become a symbol of the pontiff’s compassion for all people, and it changed the life of the man he hugged. Ben Wedeman has his story.
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Filed under: John L. Allen Jr. • Pope Francis • Up Close
October 30th, 2013
11:47 PM ET
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A not so private audience with Pope Francis

Pope Francis delivered a message to families in Saint Peter's Square over the weekend, but it was a boy from the audience who ended up stealing the show. The little guy apparently wanted to be part of the action. He jumped right up to be next to the pope and refused to leavethe pontiff’s  side, even after an aide offered him candy. The pope took it all in stride. Randi Kaye reports.
Filed under: Pope Francis • Randi Kaye

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