VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis presides over Easter Vigil, baptizes 10 souls

Pope Francis baptized 10 people Saturday and urged them to bring their faith “to the ends of the Earth” as he presided over an Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The vigil is among the Vatican’s most solemn services. Francis entered the darkened basilica with a lone candle, which he then shared with others to slowly illuminate the church. The symbolic service commemorates the darkness of the faithful over the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and their joy and light at his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Francis urged the Catholics gathered for the late-night service to remember when they first found their faith.

Trying to remember is a way to bring the “fire” of faith “to all people, to the very ends of the Earth,” he said.

Francis, 77, will get a few hours of rest before celebrating Easter Sunday Mass in the flower-strewn St. Peter’s Square.

He then has a week to prepare for the other major celebration of this year’s Easter season: the April 27 canonizations of Pope John XXIII and John Paul II.

MEXICO CITY

Ashes of author could rest in Mexico, Colombia or both

The final resting place for the ashes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez remains unclear. It could be Mexico where he lived for decades or his native Colombia. Perhaps even both.

Colombia’s ambassador to Mexico said it’s completely up to the family of the Nobel laureate who died Thursday in Mexico City.

Ambassador Jose Gabriel Ortiz says Colombians from President Juan Manuel Santos on down would like to see the remains divided between Mexico and Colombia. He noted that while Garcia Marquez wrote many of his novels in Mexico, “he never stopped being Colombian.”

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran will redesign reactor to limit plutonium-making

Iran will redesign its Arak heavy water reactor to greatly limit the amount of plutonium it can make, the country’s vice president said Saturday, marking a major concession from the Islamic Republic in negotiations with world powers over its contested nuclear program.

The comments by Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi come as the talks face an informal July 20 deadline to hammer out a final deal to limit Iran’s ability to build nuclear arms in exchange for ending the crippling economic sanctions it faces.

– From news service reports