Catholic News Service

Pope Francis' surprise visit to St. Peter's Basilica to pray and see ongoing restoration work is a clear sign that his condition is improving, the Vatican press office said.

As Pope Francis continues his recovery at the Vatican, he is very slowly beginning to get back to his old routine of meeting with top Vatican officials, the Vatican press office said.

"Seeds of Peace and Hope" is the theme for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, which will be celebrated Sept. 1.

When the pope formally proclaimed the Holy Year dedicated to hope, he had said that "the need for peace challenges us all, and demands that concrete steps be taken." One concrete step is the gift of the four ambulances, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity said, becoming "a sign of Jubilee hope anchored in Christ."

During his second week back at the Vatican after a long hospitalization, Pope Francis continued to follow his doctors' orders to stay home, avoid visitors and keep up with respiratory and physical therapy, the Vatican press office said.

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.