Pope Francis' planned visit to Venice will include a Mass in the city's famous St. Mark's Square, a meeting with young people from the archdiocese and a meeting with female detainees at an island prison where the Vatican has set up its pavilion for a major international contemporary art exhibition.
Pope Francis decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health.
During the 68th session of the U.N.'s Commission on the Status of Women, the Vatican's mission to the United Nations held three side events, including a panel arguing for a prohibition against child surrogacy.
A recent daylong gathering at Georgetown University sought to help U.S. church leaders understand that synodality "doesn't start at the Vatican but grows from the ground up."
"War is always a defeat," Pope Francis said, urging people at his general audience to pray that leaders in war-torn nations would have the courage to negotiate for peace.