Christopher White

Despite the fact that Jesuits have historically shied away from roles of authority in the church, over the last 10 years, Pope Francis has increasingly turned to his Jesuit confreres to take on key positions.

With international trips to places "where there are conflicts and difficulties that are forgotten" and in his major documents, Pope Francis' diplomacy has aimed to influence global conversations in new ways.

Catholicism's global leader is shifting the church from what one archbishop describes as a "hierarchical church to a synodal church" and "from a powerful church to a church that is poor and powerless."

View from the Vatican: On Feb. 24, the day of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several embassies to the Vatican underscored their support for Ukraine by flying its flag alongside their own.

Pope Francis on Feb. 21 reaffirmed that the Vatican's worship office has been given full authority to limit the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass, in what may be seen as a major blow to some U.S. bishops seeking to circumvent the office's decisions on the matter.

When bishops gathered in Suva, Fiji, earlier this month, plans for a prayer service next to the ocean were derailed by stormy weather. The very location of the meeting underscored one of the region's most urgent concerns.

Pope Francis repeatedly asks Catholics around the world to pray for him. Now a new online project asks people to say 10 Hail Marys for him on the 10th anniversary of his papacy.

Before the pope and other leaders arrived in South Sudan, two ecumenical rallies brought out about 500 people ages 15-35 for joint prayer, music and art collaboration. Now, after the visit, the unifying effort continues.

In a press conference aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis addressed recent moves by his critics and joined leaders of two other Christian churches in condemning the criminalization of LGBTQ persons.

"Those who claim to be believers should have nothing more to do with a culture based on the spirit of vengeance," Pope Francis said at an ecumenical prayer service in Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 4.

Pope Francis, the archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the Church of Scotland arrived in South Sudan on Feb. 3 in an historic ecumenical visit, offering a joint and impassioned appeal for peace. "No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence," Francis begged in remarks outside the presidential palace.

Pope Francis on Feb. 2 urged 65,000 Congolese young people to resist the "poisonous temptation" of corruption that has long plagued the nation and to choose a different future for themselves. 

In an emotional meeting with victims and internally displaced persons, Pope Francis listened to unfiltered accounts of their harrowing recent past, lamenting for those who benefit from the violence to "stop getting rich from resources and money stained with blood."

At a Mass including more than one million participants, Pope Francis on Feb. 1 urged war-weary Congolese Catholics to be a "conscience of peace" as Africa's most populous Catholic nation struggles against ongoing armed conflict and entrenched ethnic divisions.

Kicking off a trip to two African nations Jan. 31, the pope warned world leaders and warring ethnic groups to stop exploiting Africa's vast natural resources and depriving its people of a "future of peace and prosperity."

Catholic environmental experts and advocates hope Pope Francis' visit to the Congo draws attention to how competition for the country's minerals harms the environment and the people.

Pope Francis on Jan. 30 accepted the resignation of Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and appointed Chicago-born Augustinian Bishop Robert Francis Prevost, currently serving in Chiclayo, Peru, to head the influential Vatican office responsible for recommending priests to be named bishops. 

The pope will undertake one of the most strenuous trips of his papacy when he travels to Congo and South Sudan Jan. 31-Feb. 5.

Pope Francis has condemned the criminalization of homosexuality, becoming the first Roman pontiff to officially back the repeal of such legislation in countries where it exists.

Rome is more of a hub than a corporate headquarters, says Bishop Paul Tighe, a secretary for the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education.