Pope Francis will use his upcoming high-level visits to the U.S. and UN to press the concerns of the poor and marginalized, says expert Kenneth Himes.

The pope’s encyclical on the environment carries a profoundly religious message about care for the earth, wedded to a new call for activism, say religious scholars Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim.

China’s leaders have made a renewed call for rule of law reforms, but it is important to stress the ruling Communist Party remains above the law, says CFR’s Elizabeth C. Economy.

President Hollande’s state visit was an attempted boost for the United States’ lead EU security partner and a sign of a more activist foreign policy in the White House, says CFR’s Charles Kupchan.