Pope Francis named Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, making him the second American now serving on the group tasked with advising the pontiff on which Catholic priests to appoint as bishops across the world.
A Catholic nun, kneeling before armed forces in Myanmar and begging them not to open fire on protesters, has become a symbol for the protests against the military coup that destabilized the country in February.
In a March 2 briefing, the Vatican sought to downplay the risks of Pope Francis visiting Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that the March 5-8 events have been planned to maintain social distancing measures.
