Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of three blesseds: an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during World War II and a Venezuelan religious sister who dedicated her life to education and the poor.

The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2023, while the number of seminarians, priests, men and women in religious orders, and baptisms all declined, according to Vatican statistics.

For Pope Francis' medical team at Rome's Gemelli hospital, Feb. 28 was the worst day.

The Catholic Church needs to expand its safeguarding efforts to include the new threats and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence, top organizers of a Vatican conference said.

Change can be frightening, but the Holy Spirit encourages the faithful to face their fears, follow Jesus' light and be "born again," Pope Francis said in a prepared text.

Amid widespread uncertainty and social fragmentation, Pope Francis urged young people to embrace their vocation as "pilgrims of hope," offering their lives generously in service to others and as a response to God's love.

Hundreds of pilgrims from the United States gathered for Mass at the majestic Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica with two main intentions in mind: the health of Pope Francis and the needs of their loved ones at home.

The Vatican secretary of state and Ukraine's president spoke by phone March 14. Topics included the pope's health, the situation in Ukraine, a possible ceasefire and return of children taken from Ukraine into Russia.

With no significant developments, Pope Francis' medical team decided not to release a scheduled bulletin on Friday.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, presented a paper offering "some clarifications" regarding the meaning of the April 2024 document "Dignitas Infinita" during a conference organized by Germany's Cologne University of Catholic Theology. 

At the start of the Lenten season, the pope greeted Catholics in Brazil and praised the country's bishops for their continued support of the annual Fraternity Campaign, which is dedicated this year to "Fraternity and Integral Ecology."

Pope Francis' extended hospitalization and care is a reminder that every human being, especially the frail or elderly, must be given proper care, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The Vatican Dicastery for Legislative Texts strongly cautioned against publishing "news" that would harm the reputation of an individual, especially someone who is deceased, when it comes to priests accused of abuse and not found guilty in civil or canonical procedures.

Pope Francis urged Christians to examine their consciences in Lent by comparing their daily lives to the hardships faced by migrants, calling it a way to grow in empathy and discover God's call to compassion.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, led a recitation of the rosary for Pope Francis on the 11th day of his hospitalization for double pneumonia. About 27 cardinals living in Rome and dozens of members of the Roman Curia joined the prayers.

While Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome's Gemelli hospital, one of the cardinals closest to him traveled to Lebanon to demonstrate the pope's ongoing concern for refugees and for peace in the Middle East.

The morning after Pope Francis' doctors said that he remained in "critical" condition and showed initial signs of renal insufficiency, the Vatican press office said the pope was in "good spirits" and continuing his treatment.

Francis' condition continues to be critical and the pope is not out of danger.

One out of four people living in Lebanon is a refugee, and the majority of children born in refugee camps are unregistered at birth, said Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Czerny added that it is important to offer a "gesture of thanks and support to the Lebanese people who proportionately bear the greatest burden of any country in the world."

The same week U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his idea of emptying Gaza of more than 2 million Palestinians so it could become a "Riviera of the Middle East," the Vatican secretary of state said there must be no deportations.