Catholic News Service

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.

Individuals and corporations have a moral obligation to pay their fair share of taxes, and wealthy nations have an obligation to use that money to help their poorer citizens and provide aid to developing nations, the Vatican secretary of state said.

Ways must be found to ensure artificial intelligence benefits everyone and protects the environment, given the high amounts of energy consumed by data centers, Pope Francis told leaders at the "Artificial Intelligence Action Summit" in Paris Feb. 10-11.

Defending Indigenous communities' rights to land, water and food "is not only a matter of justice, but also a guarantee of a sustainable future for all," Francis wrote in a message to the global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum at the International Fund for Agricultural Development held in Rome Feb. 10-11

"May all the baptized, as missionary disciples of Christ, make his hope shine forth in every corner of the earth," the pope wrote in in his message for World Mission Sunday, which will be celebrated Oct. 19.

Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who has led the observatory since 2015, shares his journey of becoming a Jesuit astronomer, explains the compatibility of science and faith and guides readers on how to look at the heavens in a new book released Feb. 4 by Loyola Press.

Pope Francis has formally recognized that five Franciscan missionaries ministering in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia were killed for their faith.

During an ecumenical prayer service at St. Paul Outside the Walls to mark the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reiterated the official position taken by St. Paul VI that if Eastern Christians agree on a way to determine a common date for Easter, the Catholic Church would accept it.

Artificial intelligence or any other technology that worsens inequality around the world and increases fake news should not be embraced as "progress," Pope Francis told business and government leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

"In the journey of life, we could identify hope as the signpost that marks our itinerary," Pope Francis said during a meeting with seminarians from Córdoba, Spain, Jan. 17.

The rabbi accused Pope Francis of fueling anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiments by focusing on the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and not acknowledging the multiple threats to Israel's existence.