Catholic News Service

Pope Francis asked the bishops of the 11 Latin-rite dioceses of Calabria, Italy, to consider further consolidating their seminaries, saying that a student body "of four, five or 10 is not a seminary."

Jesus can offer everyone hope and new life, Pope Francis said.

"It's boring to talk to priest," Pope Francis said with a smile as he began an upfront and informal conversation with 10 young people in Rome on their questions about faith and issues within the church.

While promoting dialogue and building relationships with leaders of the European Union contribute to peace, bishops in EU countries also must be prophetic in denouncing war and encouraging all possible efforts to restore peace, Pope Francis said.

Beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, all students working on degrees at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome will be required to take a three-hour course on "safeguarding and care for human dignity," the university announced.

To evangelize well, the faithful need to dialogue with God, let the Holy Spirit renew their hearts and lives, and then dialogue with today's world, Pope Francis said.

The substitute secretary for general affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State said Vatican officials "were forced" into spending $17 million rather than an anticipated $2 million to $4 million to buy out an Italian broker over a London property deal.

Safe, organized, legal and sustainable migration is in the interest of all countries, Pope Francis wrote.

The seven-member preparatory commission for the assembly of the Synod of Bishops met at the Vatican March 13-16 and had an audience with Pope Francis on the last day of their gathering.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod, has named Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and six others to be members of the preparatory commission for the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October.

The aesthetic and artistic elements surrounding the liturgy must foster prayer and a sense of communion, Pope Francis said.

Being an apostle does not mean climbing up the church's hierarchy to look down on others but humbling oneself in a spirit of service, Pope Francis said.

Establishing clear procedures for protecting vulnerable people against abuse "must become a priority in every local church," Pope Francis said.

In interviews focused on the 10th anniversary of his election, Pope Francis insisted it is not his task to make an accounting of what he has or has not accomplished since March 13, 2013.

Jesus quenches humanity's thirst with love, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church is not selective: each one of its members is a sinner and part of the holy, faithful people of God, Pope Francis said in an interview marking his 10 years as pope.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who is on trial at the Vatican for financial malfeasance, tried to get Pope Francis to sign statements saying the cardinal acted with the pope's approval when he used Vatican money to invest in a property in London and when he paid a woman who claimed she could help secure the release of a kidnapped nun.

Oceans are a gift from God and they must be used fairly and sustainably, Pope Francis said in a written message for the Our Ocean Conference.

Pope Francis will open a Lenten prayer and penance initiative at a Rome parish March 17 rather than in St. Peter's Basilica as in past years.

The Second Vatican Council was a "prophetic initiative" to compensate for the church's refusal to engage with society, said the preacher of the papal household.