“24 Hours for the Lord” at the Church of St. Lawrence in Piscibus on March 13, 2016. / Credit: Centro San Lorenzo

Vatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

Now in its 12th year, the Church’s “24 Hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative is believed to have been inspired by the Eucharistic devotion of a group of young Catholics in Rome.

On the night of March 12-13, 2013, just hours before Cardinal Jorge Bergolio would be elected pope, young adults were gathered in prayer before the Eucharist in a small church dedicated to youth just outside the Vatican.

"Night of Light and Saints" Eucharistic adoration in the Church of St. Lawrence in Piscibus on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2013. Credit: Papaboys

It was not the first time. A few weeks prior, the group had also spent all night in adoration at a different church as Pope Benedict XVI was ending his papacy and preparing to leave the Vatican to fly by helicopter to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

One day the following year, Pope Francis announced that the whole Church would spend “24 Hours for the Lord,” with a special Lenten penance liturgy at the Vatican, while some of Rome’s churches remained open all night for adoration and confession.

“One of the most beautiful visions that we had when we were young was to put Jesus as the protagonist, at the center,” Daniele Venturi, a young adult leader in Rome at the time, told EWTN News in a Feb. 4 interview.

“Over the years, we experienced these intense and important moments of Eucharistic adoration … where we really saw Jesus attracting,” he added. “[Jesus] says [in the Gospel of John], ‘I will draw everyone to myself,’ and we saw him in action.”

“One of the most significant nights that ignited this Eucharistic spark was in the moment between the resignation of Benedict XVI and the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis,” Venturi added. “We were right inside this church [St. Lawrence in Piscibus] in an intense prayer that lasted several days, 24 hours, day and night.”

Venturi, 55, died on March 13, two days after he was hospitalized and placed in intensive care for an unexpected illness.

Daniele Venturi, founder of Papaboys, speaks to EWTN News in a Feb. 4, 2025, interview in the Church of St. Lawrence in Piscibus in Rome. Venturi died unexpectedly on March 13, 2025, at the age of 55. Credit: Fabio Gonnella/EWTN News

The layman, who was deeply devoted to his Catholic faith and to sharing it with young people from the time of his own youth, was founder and president of an Italian association called “Papaboys,” created after World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II in 2000.

Members of Papaboys and other young adults who frequented the San Lorenzo Center often joined together in prayer, including many 24-hour prayer marathons, during Benedict XVI’s pontificate and in the early years of Francis’ papacy, Venturi said Feb. 4.

He described it as a chain of prayer that formed between the two pontificates. 

Started in 2014 by Pope Francis, “24 Hours for the Lord” is a penitential Lenten initiative centered on the sacrament of confession in the context of Eucharistic adoration. 

Churches around the world are encouraged to participate, staying open for prayer and with priests available to hear confessions for 24 hours on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent. In 2025, the date is March 28-29. 

While it was never explicitly said that the idea for “24 Hours for the Lord” originated with the young people’s prayer marathons, one of the members of the San Lorenzo Center at the time — Alexey Gotovskiy, now a producer in the EWTN News Vatican Bureau — remembered Archbishop Rino Fisichella, then-president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, being aware of the initiative and once celebrated Mass for them. 

The Vatican has held a penitential liturgy to begin the 24 hours event most years since it started. Pope Francis surprised everyone in attendance at the first “24 Hours for the Lord” liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica on March 28, 2014, when he went first to confession himself before entering the confessional to hear others’ confessions.

In 2023 and 2024, the liturgy was held in Roman parishes instead of the Vatican basilica. In 2025, the penance service will be celebrated at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in the historic center of Rome.

Organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization, “24 Hours for the Lord” is part of the events of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope, including the weekend jubilee for priests who have been instituted as Missionaries of Mercy.

Members of the San Lorenzo youth center hold a banner in St. Peter's Square the night of Pope Francis' election on March 13, 2013. Credit: Alexey Gotovskiy

Pope Francis first instituted some priests as Missionaries of Mercy during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, later extending the mandate. The Vatican has given Missionary of Mercy priests the faculties to absolve sins otherwise reserved to the Holy See.

Venturi said “the celebration of the ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ is a time to be exclusive, really face to face with [Jesus]. The time of adoration is beautiful because — either in song, or in prayer, or in silence, which is the greatest ‘noise’ that touches every heart — when Jesus speaks, that’s when he breaks every chain that has been bound within each of us, even the most hidden ones, even the ones that we forget.”

“Within these strong moments of continuous prayer,” Venturi added, one approaches a priest for confession, “rediscovering Christ in that priest” and leaving all one’s internal burden behind through the confession of one’s sins. 

Pope Francis waves from a balcony at Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, March 23, 2025, following weeks of hospitalization for bilateral pneumonia. / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

Vatican City, Mar 26, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday highlighted the transformative power of God’s merciful love for those who encounter him at the crossroads of life.

Since being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, the Holy Father’s weekly general audiences are suspended for the duration of his at-least-two-month convalescence in his Casa Santa Marta home in the Vatican. 

In his written March 26 catechesis, titled “Jesus Christ Our Hope” and released by the Vatican, the pope said: “Jesus waits for us and lets himself be found precisely when we think that there is no hope left for us.”

Reflecting on the Gospel of St. John, the Holy Father noted that Jesus had the desire to start a conversation with the Samaritan woman “who has had five husbands and is now with a sixth who is not a husband” who came to draw water at Jacob’s well in the town of Sychar.  

“To go to Galilee from Judea, Jesus would have had to choose another road and not pass through Samaria,” the pope said. “It would also have been safer, given the tense relations between the Jews and the Samaritans.” 

“Instead, he wants to pass through there, and stops at that very well, right at that time!” he added. 

According to the pope, the woman’s “complicated and painful” history and questions on what “divided Jews and Samaritans” did not prevent God from wanting to love her and offer her the fullness of salvation. 

“He gives the highest revelation: He speaks to her of the Father, who is to be adored in spirit and truth,” he said. “He tells her: ‘I am he, the one who is speaking with you’ (cf. Jn 4:26).” 

“It is like a declaration of love: The one you are waiting for is me, the one who can finally respond to your desire to be loved,” the pope continued.

After the experience of feeling understood, welcomed, and forgiven by God, the woman runs to her village to tell others about her encounter with Jesus.

“It is an image that should make us reflect on our search for new ways to evangelize,” the Holy Father said. 

“To go and proclaim the Gospel, we first need to set down the burden of our history at the feet of the Lord, to consign to him the weight of our past,” he said. “Only reconciled people can bring the Gospel.”

Encouraging people to not let their past prevent them from “setting out anew” in the journey of faith, the pope concluded his catechesis saying: “God is merciful and awaits us always!”

Pope Francis waves to the gathered faithful from the balcony at Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, March 23, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Press Office reported that Pope Francis’ convalescence at St. Martha’s House, his Vatican residence where he returned after being discharged from the hospital on Sunday, continues “under the terms prescribed by the doctors at the time of his discharge from the Gemelli Hospital.”

Thus for the time being, both the general audience scheduled for this Wednesday and the Angelus on Sunday will remain suspended, and the Vatican will release the text prepared by the pontiff, as it has done during the nearly six weeks he was hospitalized in Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

Furthermore, he is not expected to meet with large groups of faithful until at least the end of May. In fact, the greatest fear of the medical team treating him for double pneumonia is that he could become infected with another virus or bacteria that could compromise his health again.

In this regard, the doctor who coordinated the Gemelli team, Sergio Alfieri, requested “everyone’s help” in a press conference on Saturday afternoon to avoid “visits and meetings” and thus speed his recovery.

At the St. Martha residence, the pontiff has a Vatican medical team available 24/7 in case of any emergency. During the day, the pope also does respiratory and motor physiotherapy exercises and continues his drug therapy.

According to the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, Pope Francis concelebrated Mass and performed some work-related tasks that did not require much effort.

In this regard, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, assured that, for the time being, in order to be respectful of this recovery period, they will only take care of the most important matters “that require his decision, also so as not to tire him out too much.”

“I will meet with him when he has gotten situated a bit,” the prelate explained yesterday outside the conference titled “Vatican Longevity Summit: Challenging the Clock of Time.” The doctors have said he should take it easy for a while, he added.

In any case, the Vatican confirmed that this period of convalescence is different from that of hospitalization. In fact, he can receive visitors, but they should be kept to a minimum.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri answers questions from the media at a press conference regarding Pope Francis’ health on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at Gemelli Hospital in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

The head of the medical team that treated Pope Francis during the 38 days he spent at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, revealed that one of the most critical moments of his hospitalization was when they had to choose between continuing the therapy or letting the pope die.

“We had to choose whether to stop and let him go, or push it and try every drug and therapy possible, running the extremely high risk of damaging other organs,” he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

In the interview, Alfieri described in detail the doctors’ response to the respiratory crisis suffered by the pope on Feb. 28.

According to the medical report published that day, Pope Francis suffered an isolated attack of bronchospasm, a severe coughing fit that suddenly worsened his clinical condition, after days of moderate optimism at the Vatican.

Although the pope never lost consciousness and cooperated with the specialists’ therapeutic maneuvers, the alarms went off, and doctors opted to place him on a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe.

‘I saw tears in the eyes of some people who were close to him’

“For the first time, I saw tears in the eyes of some people who were close to him. People who, I’ve come to understand during this period of hospitalization, truly love him, like a father. We were all aware that the situation had worsened further and there was a risk that he might not make it,” Alfieri explained.

However, despite the risk of causing irreversible kidney and bone marrow damage due to the medical treatment he underwent, they decided to act. “We really thought we wouldn’t make it,” he said.

It was a difficult decision, as Alfieri recounted, ultimately supported by the decision of the pope himself, who, through his personal health assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal nurse at the Vatican, gave a clear order: “‘Try everything, let’s not give up.’ And no one gave up.”

In the end, Pope Francis responded to the treatment. However, after his recovery, there was another moment of intense concern.

While eating, the pope suffered an episode of vomiting, and the gastric juices ended up entering his lungs.

“We were just coming out of the toughest period, and while eating, Pope Francis vomited and inhaled it. That was the second truly critical moment because, in these cases, if you don’t act quickly, there’s a risk of sudden death, in addition to complications in the lungs, which were already the most compromised organs,” Alfieri related.

He might not survive the night

The doctor explained that, despite the seriousness of the situation, Pope Francis was always fully aware, “even when his condition worsened.”

“He was aware, like us, that he might not survive the night,” the doctor stated.

He added: “We saw the man who was suffering. However, from the first day he asked us to tell him the truth and wanted us to tell the truth about his condition.”

In this regard, the director of the medical-surgical department at Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital expressed the desire for transparency that prompted the Vatican to report on Pope Francis’ health.

“We communicated the medical information to the secretaries, and they added other information that the pope later approved. Nothing has ever been modified or omitted,” he noted.

The power of prayer

In the interview, Alfieri also highlighted the pope’s incredible strength, both physical and mental: “In the past, when we spoke, I would ask him how he managed to keep up this pace, and he always replied, ‘I have a method and rules.’ Beyond a very strong heart, he has incredible resources.” 

In addition to the pope’s stamina, the Gemelli medical coordinator added that the prayers offered by faithful around the world in recent days also contributed to his recovery.

“There is a scientific publication that says prayer strengthens the sick. In this case, the whole world began to pray. I can say that twice the situation was lost, and then it happened like a miracle. Of course, he was a very cooperative patient. He underwent all the therapies without ever complaining,” he stated.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).

The Vatican on Tuesday launched new pastoral care guidelines for the protection and promotion of human life to mark the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae.

With the aim of upholding the Church’s teachings on the inalienable dignity of the human person, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life released “Life Is Always a Good: Initiating Processes for a Pastoral Care of Human Life” on March 25 — the solemnity of the Annunciation — as an aid for bishops and dioceses worldwide.

The 40-page pastoral framework document highlights the urgent need to respond to Pope Francis’ call “to solidarity and fraternal love for the great human family” in a society that has “lost its ability to identify good and evil.”

“We urgently need to invest in the formation of consciences. Any confusion between good and evil creates a sense of emptiness and terrible suffering in personal and social life,” the document states.

The Vatican’s new guidelines were created to help local Churches to implement the principles outlined in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 2024 declaration Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”), which condemns “grave and current violations of human dignity” such as abortion, surrogacy, euthanasia, human trafficking, and sexual abuse.

In its publication this week the family dicastery recommends parishes and dioceses develop formation initiatives and programs that emphasize the importance of each human person’s life — from its beginning until its end — “which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter” (cf. Dignitas Infinita,1).

“In a time marked by extremely serious violations of human dignity, with many countries afflicted by wars and all sorts of violence — especially against women, children before and after birth, adolescents, people with disabilities, the elderly, the poor, and migrants — we must forge a genuine pastoral care of human life to put into practice,” dicastery prefect Cardinal Kevin Farrell wrote.

“I encourage every bishop, priest, religious man and woman, and layperson to read this pastoral framework and strive to develop an organic and structured pastoral care of human life, which can provide workers, educators, teachers, parents, young people, and children the right formation to respect the value of life,” Farrell wrote.

According to Bishop Dario Gervasi, adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, the pastoral framework is the result of an ongoing dialogue with bishops who “have always emphasized the urgency of a renewed commitment to safeguard and promote the life and dignity of every human being” during their visits to the Holy See.

Pope Francis joins the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in prayer at the Vatican on March 7, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

In a written message on Tuesday to the Vatican’s commission for the protection of minors from sexual abuse, Pope Francis urged the group to continue to “keep watch while the world sleeps,” and to care for victims and survivors by listening “with the ear of the heart” to their experiences.

“Abuse prevention,” he said, “is not a blanket to be spread over emergencies but one of the foundations on which to build communities faithful to the Gospel.”

Pope Francis’ message was sent to participants in the March 24–28 plenary assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), which he established in 2014.

With the reform of the Roman Curia in 2022, the commission — whose mission is to help local Churches around the world to safeguard minors and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse — became part of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The PCPM released its first annual report on Church policies and procedures for safeguarding in 2024.

During its 10 years of work, the pontifical commission has “enabled a safety network to grow within the Church,” the pope said. He also encouraged the group to “keep going!”

“Continue to be sentinels that keep watch while the world sleeps. May the Holy Spirit, teacher of living memory, preserve us from the temptation to file away grief instead of healing it,” he said.

Relating the PCPM’s service to “oxygen” for the local Churches and religious communities, Francis asked the group to increase its joint work with the departments of the Roman Curia and to build alliances with civil authorities, experts, and associations outside of the Catholic Church.

He also requested that they “offer hospitality and care for the wounds of the soul to victims and survivors, in the style of the good Samaritan. To listen with the ear of the heart, so that every testimony finds not registers to be compiled but the depths of mercy from which to be reborn.”

Young parishioners from the Church of St. Eugene in the Roman suburb of Parioli — Maddy (far left) and Constaza (far right) — emphasized the importance of continuing prayers for Pope Francis. The pope was discharged from Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, March 23, 2025.  / Credit: Photo courtesy of Paty/Club Arcogrande

Vatican City, Mar 24, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

Children in Rome have welcomed the news of Pope Francis’ return to the Vatican after the pontiff spent nearly 40 days in Gemelli Hospital due to complex respiratory illnesses, including bilateral pneumonia.

Before being discharged Sunday afternoon, the Holy Father appeared on a fifth-floor balcony of Gemelli Hospital to briefly greet and bless approximately 3,000 people gathered in a square outside the clinic. It was the pope’s first public appearance since being admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14.

Throughout his prolonged hospital stay, several visitors — including children — have come to pray outside Gemelli Hospital and leave behind flowers, drawings, and written letters with well wishes for the pope.

Earlier this month, the Holy Father expressed his particular gratitude for children’s continuous prayers for his recovery and return home to the Vatican.

“I know that many children are praying for me,” the pope said in his March 16 Sunday Angelus message. “Thank you, dearest children! The pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you.”

In an interview with CNA, three young parishioners from the Church of St. Eugene in the Roman suburb of Parioli — Maddy, Niki, and Constaza — shared their gratitude for Pope Francis’ message and emphasized the importance of continuing prayers for the 88-year-old head of the universal Church.

The three girls, who belong to the parish’s youth group “Arcogrande,” are among the few children who have had their drawings and letters received by the Holy Father, thanks to the help of their catechism teacher who passed on their gifts to staff caring for the pope at Gemelli Hospital.

“Pope Francis’ message [to children] was beautiful,” Maddy shared with CNA over the weekend. “It is important to pray because the pope is sick … we can make him feel better.”

Niki told CNA that doing good to others is “a beautiful thing” that could help the pope feel better as he continues medical care from his Casa Santa Marta home in the Vatican.

“I think the pope thanks us so much for what we do for others,” Niki said. “He does so many things for us … we could do things for him.”

Describing the pontiff as an “important person for religious people,” Constaza said the pope’s work leading the Church must be supported by the prayers of the Catholic faithful around the world.

“It’s important to pray for the pope,” she told CNA. “He always prays for us and helps poor people.”

The Holy Father will continue oxygen therapy, physiotherapy, and other treatments during his two-month convalescence, the Vatican stated over the weekend.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia speaks at a press conference for a Vatican summit on longevity on March 24, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 24, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis, in his weakness, is teaching the world about human frailty, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said Monday at a press conference for a Vatican summit on longevity.

The pope has shown “that old age is also marked by frailty, and frailty should not be rejected. It is not to be … expelled like the devil,” the archbishop and president of the Pontifical Academy for Life said at the Holy See Press Office on March 24, one day after Pope Francis returned to the Vatican after 38 days in the hospital.

While Francis, in his illness, has lost his ability to speak at the moment, he is teaching us with his body “the importance of old people,” Paglia added. “Pope Francis reminds us that it is actually a voice that should be deafening: that of the frail, who remind us that we do not live forever.”

The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life sponsored the first Vatican Longevity Summit on March 24 at the Augustinianum Conference Center in Rome to reflect with scientific and academic institutions on how to promote “a model of longevity that does not limit itself to extending the years of life but to enriching them in terms of quality, dignity, and sustainability, integrating science, ethics, and spirituality.”

Giulio Maira, a neurosurgeon who previously worked at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, is participating in the summit. He told CNA after the press conference that “frailty is the ultimate expression of aging.”

“Unfortunately, when we get to an age beyond 65-70, we get there with a more fragile organism, with a greater vulnerability to diseases, germs, bacteria, viruses,” he noted. “The pope is the expression, the living example, of how even a serious illness can be faced with dignity, with courage, and with serenity. And this must be an example for everyone.”

Giulio Maira (left), a neurosurgeon who previously worked at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, speaks at a press conference on the Vatican longevity summit on March 24, 2025. He told CNA after the press conference that “frailty is the ultimate expression of aging.”. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis, Maira said during the press conference, has made it through the worst of a serious illness, and now, like everyone, needs to convalesce.

Reflecting on some of the popes of the last century and how they lived illness and old age, Paglia said: “We need to get out of an overly functionalist mindset.”

Francis, during his hospital stay, has taught us that everyone needs each other, the archbishop added in comments to CNA.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry and a participant in the summit on old age, said there are a few considerations when it comes to scientific research on longevity.

“The aim is not to get people to live much longer, but the aim is to have people live healthier lives, so more of their lives can be healthy,” he said. “It’s not entirely clear how we are going to achieve this because it may be that advances in longevity not only increase our health but also increase our lifespan.”

A second consideration is the imbalance of generations, a slow changeover of generations, and the effect it would have on the dynamic quality and creativity of a society, he added.

“If we all start living longer, what kind of society will we have? We already face a society where fertility rates are going down … so we may have a society which is very lopsided in that there are very few young people and very many old people, what would that mean?” 

Ramakrishnan said economic disparity is also an important issue: “Whenever new medical advances are made, they are often first used in rich countries and only very slowly go to poor countries.”

Pope Francis waves from a balcony at Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, March 23, 2025, following weeks of hospitalization for bilateral pneumonia. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Mar 23, 2025 / 07:04 am (CNA).

Shortly before his expected release on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about his long period of hospitalization during his Angelus address.

The moment marked his first public engagement in weeks.

The pontiff, scheduled to be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23, prepared a written message published by the Vatican while briefly appearing at approximately noon to greet the faithful and impart his blessing.

“During this long period of hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the patience of the Lord, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the attentiveness and hopes of the patients’ families,” Francis noted.

“This confident patience, anchored in God’s love that never fails, is truly necessary for our lives, especially to face the most difficult and painful situations.”

During his address, the pope reflected on this Third Sunday of Lent’s Gospel reading about the barren fig tree, drawing parallels between the patient farmer in the parable and God’s merciful approach to humanity.

On the situation in Gaza, the pope called for a ceasefire and “that weapons be silenced immediately; and that there be the courage to resume dialogue, so that all hostages may be freed and a definitive ceasefire reached.”

Francis emphasized that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “is once again extremely serious and requires the urgent commitment of the warring parties and the international community.”

On a more positive note, the Holy Father expressed satisfaction with diplomatic progress in the Caucasus region.

“I am pleased, however, that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on the final text of the Peace Agreement,” he said.

“I hope that it will be signed as soon as possible and can thus contribute to establishing a lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Convalescing in Casa Santa Marta

The Vatican announced on Saturday that the pontiff would be discharged from Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, following more than a month of treatment. Hospital officials indicated he will continue convalescing at his apartment in Casa Santa Marta for at least two months and will require ongoing oxygen therapy during his convalescence.

Doctors said at a Saturday press conference that Francis would undergo a “protected discharge” and would “still have to carry out” treatment “for a long time.”

Candles with Pope Francis’ image on them stand outside Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Feb. 21, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Mar 22, 2025 / 14:09 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis will be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, the Vatican said on Saturday afternoon, with the Holy Father leaving the facility after spending more than a month there amid a health crisis. 

Hospital officials said on Saturday that the pope will continue convalescing at his apartment in Casa Santa Marta for at least two months.

Francis first entered the hospital on Feb. 14, more than a month ago. He was treated for several conditions while there including bilateral pneumonia.

Sergio Alfieri, the director of the department of medical and surgical sciences at the hospital, said at a Saturday press conference that Francis would undergo a “protected discharge” and that he will “still have to carry out” treatment “for a long time.”

The pope will continue to receive oxygen during his ongoing convalescence, Alfieri said.

As recently as Friday doctors were still uncertain as to when the Holy Father would be discharged from the hospital. In recent days the Vatican has regularly reported that the pope’s condition has continued to improve.

The Vatican had said earlier on Saturday that Francis would make his first public appearance in weeks on Sunday, with the pope scheduled to appear at a window of the Gemelli Hospital and greet visitors following the Angelus prayer.

Alfieri said on Saturday that doctors at the hospital “were all in charge to try to solve the problem” of the pope’s health struggles.

“Today we are happy to say that tomorrow he will be home,” he said.

A makeshift shrine with devotional candles, flowers, and images of Pope Francis appears outside Rome's Gemelli hospital on Feb. 22, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Mar 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis plans to make his first public appearance in over a month this Sunday when he will appear at a window of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to offer a blessing following the Angelus prayer, the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday.

However, the text of his Angelus reflection will be distributed in written form as it has been in recent weeks.

The 88-year-old pontiff, who has been receiving treatment at the Policlinico Agostino Gemelli since Feb. 14, will deliver a blessing in person on March 23.

According to the Holy See, Vatican Media will be present to record and distribute footage of the papal appearance, which marks a promising progression in the pope’s prolonged recovery.

The Sunday blessing will provide faithful followers their first glimpse of Pope Francis since a photo and brief audio recording were released shortly after his admission to the hospital.

The first photo of Pope Francis since he entered Gemelli Hospital on February 14, 2025. Credit: Holy See Press OfficeCardinal Fernandez speaks out

According to ACI Stampa, CNA's Italian-language news partner, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and a longtime friend of Pope Francis, revealed he had been in contact with the Holy Father.

The cardinal expressed contentment over the pope’s physical well-being, noting that “his general state of health is like before” his hospitalization.

The Argentine cardinal explained that while Pope Francis “finds it tiring to speak,” he will need rehabilitation since extended periods of high-flow oxygen treatment can cause dryness requiring patients to “learn to speak again.”

Continuing treatment

On Friday evening, the Vatican issued a medical bulletin reporting “further progress” in the pope’s condition. The statement indicated his medical situation remains stable, with slight improvements in his breathing and mobility. Both medicinal and physiotherapeutic treatments continue, and the pope has maintained a regimen of prayer and light work while not receiving visitors.

A significant development has been the gradual reduction in oxygen support. Pope Francis now foregoes mechanical ventilation with a mask during the night, instead receiving high-dose oxygen through a nasal cannula. His oxygen requirements have notably decreased during daytime hours as well.

Young men attending the encounter with youth with Pope Francis at the Sir John Guise Stadium, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 21, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The “2025 Annuario Pontificio” and the “2023 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae” have been released, providing a detailed analysis of the life of the Catholic Church globally. Both reports, prepared by the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics, reveal a notable growth of the Catholic population worldwide during the two-year period 2022-2023. 

Concretely, there has been a 1.15% increase in the global Catholic population, going from approximately 1.39 billion Catholics in 2022 to 1.406 billion in 2023.

Africa has registered the greatest growth, with the Catholic population on the continent increasing by 3.31%, from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023. This growth is particularly dynamic, with countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which leads the region with nearly 55 million Catholics, and others such as Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, which have also experienced significant increases in the number of faithful. Africa currently represents 20% of the world’s Catholic population.

Meanwhile, the Americas continue to be the region of the world with the highest proportion of Catholics, accounting for 47.8% of the global total. This increase is moderate, with a growth of 0.9% over the period. 

In South America, Brazil remains the country with the largest number of Catholics, with 182 million, representing 13% of the world’s total. Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay stand out with more than 90% of their population being Catholic. 

In terms of distribution, 27.4% of Catholics in the Americas reside in South America, while 6.6% are in North America and 13.8% in Central America.

Asia, Europe, and Oceania

In Asia, the Catholic population grew by 0.6% between 2022 and 2023. Although the region represents only 11% of the world’s total Catholics, countries such as the Philippines and India register significant numbers, with 93 million Catholics in the Philippines and 23 million in India, corresponding to 76.7% of the total Catholic population in Southeast Asia.

Europe, home to 20.4% of the world’s Catholics, remains the least dynamic continent in terms of Catholic growth. The European Catholic population increased by only 0.2% between 2022 and 2023, reflecting a near-stagnant dynamic. Italy, Poland, and Spain continue to be countries with a high proportion of Catholics, with more than 90% of their population identifying as Catholic. However, the European continent continues to demonstrate a slower rate of growth and increasing secularization.

In Oceania, the Catholic population experienced an increase of 1.9%, with a total population of just over 11 million Catholics in 2023. Although this growth is moderate, it reflects steady growth in this region.

An increase in the number of bishops and priests

The number of bishops also experienced an overall increase, rising by 1.4% between 2022 and 2023. The total number of bishops increased from 5,353 in 2022 to 5,430 in 2023. This growth occurred in all regions except Oceania, where the number of bishops remained constant. Most of the increase was observed in Africa and Asia, with more modest variations in Europe and the Americas.

As for priests, the Catholic Church globally recorded a slight decrease in their number, with a 0.2% reduction, from 407,730 priests in 2022 to 406,996 in 2023. However, Africa and Asia saw significant increases in the number of priests, with an increase of 2.7% in Africa and 1.6% in Asia. 

In Europe and Oceania, on the other hand, a decrease in the number of priests was observed (-1.6% in Europe, -1.0% in Oceania).

Globally, the number of priests per 259,000 Catholics reflects regional disparities. While the ratio is higher in Africa and the Americas, in Oceania, for example, the number of priests per Catholic is much lower, suggesting a relative excess of priests compared with other regions.

Decline in men and women religious

When it comes to ​​men and women religious, a continuation of the downward trend in the number of professed men who are not priests and professed women religious worldwide has been observed. 

There was a 1.6% decline in men and women religious between 2022 and 2023, falling from 599,228 to 589,423. Although the number has fallen globally, Africa has recorded a slight increase of 2.2% in the number of women religious, while Europe, North America, and Latin America have seen significant reductions.

In terms of geographical distribution, Europe continues to be the continent with the largest number of women religious, representing almost 32% of the world’s women religious in 2023, followed by Asia with 30% and the Americas with 23%. In Africa, the presence of women religious remains significant, accounting for 14% of the world total.

Decline in priestly vocations

Finally, one of the most significant phenomena is the decline in the number of seminarians, which has continued its downward trend since 2012. Globally, the number of seminarians decreased by 1.8% between 2022 and 2023, falling from 108,481 to 106,495. This decline primarily affected Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while Africa saw a slight increase of 1.1% in the number of seminarians.

In comparative terms, Africa and Asia account for 61.4% of all seminarians worldwide, a small increase from 61% in 2022. In Europe and America, however, the proportion of seminarians has declined, reflecting a growing trend toward a shortage of priestly vocations in these regions.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, speaks at a press conference on “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children” on March 20, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 21, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

The Vatican is collaborating with tech leaders and companies, governmental institutions, scholars, and nongovernmental organizations to fight “a war on two frontiers” — the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in person and online, including in the sphere of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We are really currently in a war at two frontiers when it comes to protecting children — the old ugly child exploitation, one-on-one, is not overcome — and now we have the new AI, gender-based violence at scale and sophistication. These are two things which are interacting,” Joachim Von Braun, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, said at a March 20 press conference.

“The Church,” Von Braun added, “has a role to play in both of these, and it needs to work on a science base and deeply engage in the regulatory debate, otherwise we cannot win.”

Panelists discuss “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children” at a press conference on March 20, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is hosting a March 21-22 conference with the safeguarding-centered Institute of Anthropology (IADC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Sweden-based World Childhood Foundation to address risks and opportunities presented by AI for protecting the safety of children and adolescents.

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, director of the IADC, also emphasized on Thursday the role of the Church to provide education at a national and international level about the importance of “creating a safe space, safe relationships, and safe processes” to safeguard children’s dignity online. 

“The mission that Jesus Christ has given us includes the well-being of all people, and especially, if you look into the Gospel, those who have been wounded or are exposed to greater risk of being harmed: children, adolescents, vulnerable populations,” the priest and child sexual abuse expert said.

The Church has a “responsibility to raise our voice to point out where governments and tech companies fail.”

Cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, reinforced that “AI is with us” and Catholics cannot miss the chance to be an influential voice for protecting children from the negative effects of this “exciting but fearsome tool,” as Pope Francis described it in his message for peace in 2024.

That is why, the cardinal continued, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is glad to be partnering with scientists, tech leaders, and child well-being organizations from around the world to solve the issue at the root, through the promotion of ethically compliant AI models and data, rather than going after the systems “like a firehose after they are already created.”

The two-day Vatican conference, titled “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children,” features a number of high-level participants, including Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, the founder of World Childhood Foundation, and Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden.

Also participating: Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of the U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; parliamentarian Brando Benifei, rapporteur of the EU AI Act and president of the EU Parliament-U.S. Delegation; Mama Fatima Singhateh, U.N. special rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children; parliamentarian Neema Lugangira, chair of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance; and Julia Hiller, office of the Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM) for the German government.

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, director of the Institute of Anthropology, Pontifical Gregorian University, speaks at a press conference on “Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children” on March 20, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Similoluwa Okunowo, a Google DeepMind scholar in the AI for Science Program at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Nigeria, will also present as one of four young adults providing a “youth perspective” during the conference.

Zollner said some of the risks of AI for children and adolescents include bullying, sextorsion, and entering relationships with digital partners they do not know.

Mandatory reporting laws in many parts of the world, including in the EU, are inadequate, he noted, and the risks are also exacerbated by a lack of consistency in policy and by tech companies who make enormous amounts of money but do not engage enough in child safety.

“We need to talk about the digital environment that for many of the young people today is perhaps the most important environment in which they communicate and relate,” he said.

Zollner also emphasized the important role families play as the front line for education about artificial intelligence and internet safety. He has noticed that parents are concerned, but there is also a huge “illiteracy” and feeling of overwhelm about the challenges and about how to engage in meaningful conversations with children and adolescents about the issue. 

“It’s not about black and white,” he encouraged. “All of us use these instruments more than we are aware of, all of us are dependent on these instruments, how do we educate to a proper and healthy use of them, so that it’s not harming myself or others, but it’s meant to create a space of safe interaction and growth and well-being.”

Families, parishes, dioceses, and Catholic schools “could and should be promoters of an education for a safer way to engage with the social media world and digital world in general,” Zollner added. “We have a huge ethical impact here potentially but unfortunately we have not made much use of that.”

“AI is galloping away,” Von Braun said. He offered a practical suggestion: that each diocese set up an academic group from the community as an AI council to give evidence-based advice to bishops on the risks and influence of artificial intelligence.

At the press conference, Britta Holmberg, deputy secretary general of the World Childhood Foundation, urged the public to not be afraid to confront the issue of AI.

While the quickly-changing world of AI can be scary, everyone has a responsibility, she said, to be open and curious, and to learn more in order to be role models for the world and to spread awareness about AI’s risks.

“If we don’t act, that also has consequences,” she underlined.

null / Credi: cinemavision|Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 20, 2025 / 17:05 pm (CNA).

The 14,000-ton, five-century-old dome of St. Peter’s Basilica will debut new lighting this coming Easter to further enhance Michelangelo’s magnificent work.

According to Vatican News, the new state-of-the-art lighting will ensure more intense and well-distributed light that “will further enhance the dome and create a striking atmosphere.”

The maintenance and improvement project for the lighting systems is already being carried out by the Fabric of St. Peter, the entity that manages all the works necessary to preserve and enhance the basilica and its artistic structures.

Experts are putting the dome’s drum, the structure that serves as its base, through various functionality and light intensity tests.

In addition, technical operations are being carried out during the night to check the light intensity, which will also be more calibrated and better distributed.

These changes, which will be unveiled on Easter Sunday, April 20, will allow tourists and pilgrims to appreciate even more one of the most famous domes in the world.

Michelangelo’s great Renaissance dome was built to house the remains of St. Peter. In fact, as Vatican expert Javier Martínez-Brocal explains in his Spanish-language book “The Vatican as It Has Never Been Told to You,” if a fishing line with a lead weight at the end were dropped from the central point of the cupola, “it would rest right above the tomb of the fisherman of Galilee.”

The height of the dome is 120 meters (almost 400 feet) from the floor of the basilica to the roof of the cupola, and pilgrims who wish to get to the top of the dome can reach it by climbing its 537 steps.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks to EWTN News in Oslo, Norway, on Jan. 17, 2025. / Credit: Fabio Gonella/EWTN News

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin denied that during his three recent visits to Pope Francis — who has been hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14 — they had discussed the possibility of the pope’s resignation.

“No, no, not at all,” the cardinal replied when asked by reporters after the “Iftar: Ramadan Table” event held at the St. Regis Hotel in Rome on Monday.

Parolin addressed the 88-year-old pontiff’s health and his ability to lead the Catholic Church.

“I think we should go by the medical reports, because they’re the ones that tell us exactly what the pope’s condition is,” he said.

The cardinal added that during his last visit to Pope Francis at Gemelli Hospital on March 9, he found him in better condition.

“I saw him a week ago, so I didn’t have the opportunity to see him again. I found him better than the first time,” he related, although he emphasized that this was only his personal observation and that it is necessary to follow the official information provided by the doctors.

Regarding the governance of the Catholic Church and the Holy Father’s role in decision-making, Parolin explained that, although they have been unable to discuss issues in depth during their conversations in the hospital due to his delicate health, the pontiff was presented with several situations that required his decision.

“The pope gives his instructions,” Parolin emphasized.

Concern over rearmament in Europe

The Vatican secretary of state also expressed his concern about Europe’s rearmament plan and its possible consequences. “When you rearm, sooner or later you have to use the weapons, right?” he reflected.

He also recalled that the Holy See has always advocated for disarmament.

“This has always been the policy of the Holy See: to insist on controlled and across the board disarmament on the international level. So one cannot be happy with the direction things are taking,” he commented.

Parolin also addressed the situation in Ukraine and expressed his hope that the dialogue process could move forward without obstacles.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

A St. Joseph’s procession winds through the streets of Rome and the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

Hundreds of people in Rome joined celebrations organized by the Parish Basilica of St. Joseph al Trionfale in Rome to celebrate the March 19 solemnity of St. Joseph.

A St. Joseph’s procession winds through the streets of Rome and the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Festivities began March 9 with a vigil Mass at the parish to commence the March 10–18 novena leading up to the feast day dedicated to the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Young people participate in the St. Joseph’s procession through the streets of Rome and the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

For the jubilee year, the relics of St. Joseph’s cloak and Our Lady’s veil were on display inside St. Joseph al Trionfale for public veneration for four days from March 16–19.

A reliquary said to contain a piece of St. Joseph’s cloak (at the bottom) and a fragment of the Virgin Mary’s veil (at the top) is displayed for the faithful at San Giuseppe al Trionfale Parish in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

It is believed the relics belonging to the parents of Jesus were hidden in the Basilica of Sant’Anastasia, located near the Circus Maximus, for more than 1,600 years after St. Jerome brought the relics to Rome in the fourth century.

Spectators watch as a St. Joseph’s procession winds through the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Devotion to the holy cloak of St. Joseph has expanded beyond Rome. For American visitor Gina Pribaz, the holy patron of the universal Church is an important saint for her family.

A St. Joseph’s procession winds through the streets of Rome and the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

“When I was expecting my first child and experiencing difficulty, I asked St. Joseph for his intercession — my daughter was born on his feast day,” Pribaz told CNA on Wednesday.

“Being able to venerate the relic of his cloak moved me; it helped me feel close to the real man who guided and protected the Holy Family and can do the same for our families now,” she said.

A St. Joseph’s procession winds through the streets of Rome and the surrounding neighborhood of the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

The 30-day Holy Cloak prayer devotion, which includes the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph, has spread throughout the world. Each of the 30 days represents a year in the 30 years of Jesus’ hidden life — before he began his public ministry — under the protection of St. Joseph.

A St. Joseph’s procession leads to the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Wednesday’s celebrations at St. Joseph al Trionfale included six Masses; an afternoon street procession with the parish’s St. Joseph statue, accompanied by the Lazio region’s band orchestra and state police; food and games for children, including St. Joseph cream puff pastries; and an evening fireworks display.

Participants observe the St. Joseph’s procession through the streets of Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAA St. Joseph’s procession leads to the Parish of San Giuseppe al Trionfale in Rome on March 19, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis prays during the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Oct. 27, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican announced on Saturday its latest plans for the Synod on Synodality’s ongoing implementation — a multiyear “accompaniment and evaluation process” leading to a Church-wide assembly at the Vatican in October 2028.

CNA explains more about the process and why it has been initiated:

Implementation phase

Initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021, the Synod on Synodality was a multiyear, worldwide process of the Catholic Church focused on exploring the question “What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our ‘journeying together’?” 

The synod went through diocesan, national, and continental stages in phase one, the “consultation” phase. Two global, monthlong assemblies were held at the Vatican in October 2023 and October 2024 as part of the next “discernment” phase.

The 2024 synod gathering, which included for the first time both bishops and non-bishops as voting members, was largely focused on discussing the question “What processes, structures, and institutions are needed in a missionary synodal Church?”

At the end of the month, Pope Francis chose to ratify the assembly’s final report rather than write his own postsynodal document, stating that “there are already very concrete indications in the document that can be a guide for the mission of the Churches, on the different continents, in the different contexts.”

The third and final phase of the Synod on Synodality is the implementation phase, underway now.

Study groups examining 10 areas of possible reform, based on suggestions from the 2023 assembly, are part of the implementation of the synod. Some of the study groups are expected to deliver their final reports in June.

Accompaniment and evaluation process

On March 15, the Vatican’s synod office announced an additional initiative of the implementation of the Synod on Synodality: an over-three-year accompaniment and evaluation process that will begin in churches and dioceses, move to national and international gatherings, and eventually culminate in a global gathering at the Vatican in October 2028.

With the approval of Pope Francis, who signed off on the process from the hospital on March 11, the General Secretariat of the Synod sent a letter to all of the Catholic Church’s Latin-rite bishops and Eastern-rite exarchs as well as to bishops’ conference presidents explaining this next project.

The timeline of the accompaniment and evaluation process is as follows: This May will see the publication of a support document for the implementation phase, with guidelines for its use.

From June 2025 to December 2026 there will be implementation paths in local Churches.

In the first half of 2027 there will be evaluation assemblies in dioceses around the world.

The second of half of 2027 will see evaluation assemblies in national and international bishops’ conferences.

Evaluation assemblies at the continental level will take place in the first half of 2028. 

June 2028 will see publication of the Instrumentum Laboris, or guiding document, for the October 2028 assembly.

Finally, in October 2028, the Vatican will host the ecclesial assembly.

According to Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod and the author of the letter about the accompaniment and evaluation process, “synodal teams” made up of priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and laypeople — accompanied by their bishops — will organize and conduct the process in each diocese.

What is it all about?

Grech said in his letter the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality should be understood “not as merely the ‘application’ of directives from above but rather as a process of ‘reception’” of the suggestions made in the final document of the October 2024 synodal assembly.

“It is essential to move forward together as the whole Church,” the cardinal emphasized, noting the importance of “harmonizing” the synod’s reception throughout the Church.

Pope Francis, in his final speech to synod participants on Oct. 26, 2024, said: “There are and there will be decisions to be made.” 

“I, then, will continue to listen to the bishops and the Churches entrusted to them,” he continued. “This is not the classic way of postponing decisions indefinitely. It is what corresponds to the synodal style with which even the Petrine ministry is to be exercised: listening, convening, discerning, deciding, and evaluating.”

“The process,” Grech explained, “will also be an opportunity to evaluate together the choices made at the local level and recognize the progress made in terms of synodality. Thanks to this process, the Holy Father will be able to listen to and confirm the orientations deemed valid for the whole Church.”

In an interview with Vatican News, Grech provided more background to the decision to implement an “application and evaluation process” in the Church.

He said it boils down to the need to have a synodal mentality and “simply publishing a ‘document’ is not enough for what emerged in the two phases of the synodal process to be implemented in the Church’s life.”

Because Pope Francis adopted the final document of the 2024 assembly into his ordinary magisterium, the whole Church is “required” to live the third phase, the implementation, of the synod, he continued.

This new process and its steps “constitute a map for the conversion and renewal of the Church in a synodal sense,” Grech said. “All the work that awaits us in these next three years is inspired by the contents of this document, which must be experimented with, in order to verify the possibility of realizing them in the life of the Church.”

Students try out the new Minecraft Education experience “Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” during a press conference unveiling the project on March 18, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Minecraft, the popular video game known for its blocky, pixelated graphics, has launched a new educational edition that challenges students to explore and restore St. Peter’s Basilica. 

Michelangelo’s dome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s colonnade, and the ancient tomb of the Apostle Peter have been recreated within Minecraft’s iconic digital world of 3D cubes and retro gaming aesthetic. 

Microsoft and the Vatican unveiled the game, “Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage,” at a press event in Rome on March 18. The project is the latest step in their collaboration on an AI-enhanced experience of St. Peter’s Basilica. 

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and president of the Fabric of St. Peter, discusses the new Minecraft Education experience “Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” during a press conference unveiling the project on March 18, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, placed the educational video game under the patronage of St. Joseph, who was “the educator par excellence of the child of God.” 

“Those who play with St. Peter’s Basilica in Minecraft Education have the opportunity to try their hand at creative architectural interventions, to discover the history of the basilica, to restore it, and to enter into the hidden meanings that it holds,” the cardinal said. 

Restoring the Vatican, one block at a time 

Designed for students aged 8–18, the game allows players to take on roles of skilled craftsmen and restoration workers responsible for maintaining St. Peter’s Basilica. By completing restoration tasks, they earn golden papal key tokens while learning about the basilica’s history, art, and architecture. 

Eleven-year-old Michael Sterpi was one of the lucky students selected to test out the game.  

“I play Minecraft on Xbox and PC at home,” Sterpi told CNA. “This game is like really, really, cool. With each block, they made the whole Vatican!” 

Sterpi, who has been studying the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis in school, said he thinks that Carlo “would love this game.” 

Yet, the student from Rome’s Jesuit-run Massimiliano Massimo Institute was quick to point out that nothing can replace seeing St. Peter’s Basilica in person. 

“The real thing is much better, obviously,” he said. 

Eleven-year-old Michael Sterpi was one of the lucky students selected to test out the new game. “I play Minecraft on Xbox and PC at home,” Sterpi told CNA. “This game is like really, really, cool. With each block, they made the whole Vatican!” Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAMinecraft as an educational tool? 

The new Vatican edition is part of Microsoft’s larger effort to bring cultural and religious history to life through digital learning in Minecraft Education. 

“Introducing complex topics to students in an immersive 3D virtual world makes challenging concepts easier to understand,” Allison Matthews, head of Minecraft Education at Microsoft, said at the game’s Rome premiere. 

“We’ve created a lot of classroom-ready resources that educators can download to make it very easy,” she added. 

Minecraft Education also features other religious and cultural sites, such as Syria’s Monastery of St. Elian — an ancient Christian church destroyed by the Islamic State — available in the UNESCO’s History Blocks edition of the game. A different edition lets students explore the monuments of ancient Rome. 

“Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” is part of the broader project “St. Peter’s Basilica: AI-Enhanced Experience,” the result of a collaboration between the Fabric of St. Peter, Microsoft, and Iconem, a company specializing in the digital preservation of cultural heritage. Credit: Microsoft

The game’s launch comes at a time when video games are often viewed with skepticism, especially in educational settings.  

Mauro Antonelli, the head of Italy’s technical secretariat for the Ministry of Education and Merit, acknowledged a need to “counter gaming addiction” among young people today but called the initiative an example of how technology can serve educational purposes. 

“It is really a paradigm shift — gaming is often seen with a negative connotation,” he said. 

The Vatican’s involvement reflects a growing interest in artificial intelligence, social media, and digital tools that engage younger generations.  

In April, the Catholic Church is expected to canonize Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old who loved video games, as the first computer-coding saint during a worldwide gathering of teenagers at the Vatican. 

Franciscan Father Enzo Fortunato, the director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica, also suggested that the Minecraft game could become the official game of the Vatican’s next World Children’s Day event in September 2026. 

“Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” is part of the broader project “St. Peter’s Basilica: AI-Enhanced Experience,” the result of a collaboration between the Fabric of St. Peter, Microsoft, and Iconem, a company specializing in the digital preservation of cultural heritage. Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft has been working with the Vatican on digital preservation projects through its AI for Good Lab. This latest venture builds on previous efforts to create an AI-enhanced digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica, using advanced photogrammetry techniques to map its intricate details. 

“This partnership with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican is one of Microsoft’s most cherished,” Matthews said. “We are honored to be able to use the power of AI to help preserve St. Peter’s Basilica and make it more accessible to people all around the world.” 

How to play Minecraft Vatican edition? 

“Peter Is Here” is available in the Minecraft Education lesson library for all licensed users. A trial version can be downloaded for free by logging in with an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 Education account. 

The game offers two distinct modes. In “Restoration Mode,” players work on key sections of the basilica, including restoring the Vatican Obelisk, exploring St. Peter’s Tomb, reinforcing the colonnade, and repairing Bernini’s baldacchino.  

“Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” is part of the broader project “St. Peter’s Basilica: AI-Enhanced Experience,” the result of a collaboration between the Fabric of St. Peter, Microsoft, and Iconem, a company specializing in the digital preservation of cultural heritage. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

After completing restoration tasks, players can switch to “Exploration Mode,” where they navigate the basilica, interact with historical figures, and uncover the history of its art and architecture. 

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, called the launch “a big step forward” in making the Vatican’s cultural and religious heritage more accessible to young people everywhere. 

“This is the way we take this wonderful institution — the culture, the religion, the heritage — and then put it into the hands of children in every country around the world,” he said. “What could be more special than that?” 

Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani, the undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, said he hopes that millions of young people will use the game to discover one of the world’s greatest heritage sites, especially during the jubilee year. 

Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 11:55 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday said doubts and uncertainties are not a reason to fear for those who seek Jesus’ guidance throughout life’s journey. 

In his prepared March 19 catechesis on “Jesus Our Hope,” published amid his lengthy stay in the hospital, the Holy Father reflected on Nicodemus’ encounter with the Son of God in St. John’s Gospel.

“Nicodemus goes to Jesus at night: It is an unusual time for a meeting,” the pope shared. “He is a man who finds himself in the darkness of doubt, in that darkness that we experience when we no longer understand what is happening in our lives and do not see clearly the way forward.”

Before turning to Jesus for answers, Nicodemus sensed “that something no longer works in his life,” the pope explained in his catechesis. 

“He feels the need to change, but he does not know where to begin,” he continued. “This happens to all of us in some phases of life.”

Emphasizing the need not to be closed in on ourselves and to accept change, the 88-year-old pontiff said Nicodemus is an example of a man who accepted the light of faith and was “reborn.”

“Changes sometimes frighten us,” the Holy Father said. “On the one hand they attract us, at times we desire them, but on the other we would prefer to remain in comfort.”

By choosing to embrace change and overcome inflexible habits and ways of thinking, the pope said people are able “to find a new way to love” others.

“The Spirit encourages us to face these fears,” he added.

Though Nicodemus was “a teacher of Israel,” the pope noted that he needed to trust Jesus’ authority and deepen his knowledge of Scripture.

“Nicodemus is able to do it: In the end he will be among those who go to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus (cf. Jn 19:39)!” he said. 

“Nicodemus has finally come to the light, he is reborn, and he no longer needs to stay in the night,” he continued. 

Praying for all people to have the ability to face their fears and doubts and be free, the pope concluded: “In him we find the hope to face the changes in our lives and be born again.”

Catholics attend the Mass and episcopal ordination of two new bishops in St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 17, 2021. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN/Vatican Pool

CNA Newsroom, Mar 19, 2025 / 09:25 am (CNA).

Writing from Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis emphasized the role of hope in vocational discernment in his message for the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations released by the Vatican on Wednesday.

“Vocation is a precious gift that God sows in hearts, a call to step outside oneself to undertake a journey of love and service,” wrote Francis in his address on March 19.

The hospitalized pope described how vocations develop through “trust in providence” and said Christian hope goes beyond optimism to become “a certainty rooted in faith in God, who works in the history of every person.”

Francis called on Church leaders to support younger generations in their vocational journeys while encouraging young people to work with “the Holy Spirit” in discovering their life’s purpose.

The pope pointed to young saints as examples of those who found “complete happiness in relationship with the living Christ” through their vocations.

On the solemnity of St. Joseph, Francis explained that vocational paths develop through “daily fidelity to the Gospel, prayer, discernment, and service” and concluded by urging Church communities to foster vocational awareness across various aspects of life.

“The Church is alive and fruitful when it generates new vocations,” he added.

“Our world looks, often unknowingly, for witnesses of hope who proclaim with their lives that following Christ is a source of true joy. Let us never tire, then, of asking the Lord for new laborers for his harvest, certain that with great love he continues to call them.”

In closing, the pope entrusted efforts of the young faithful “to follow the Lord to the intercession of Mary, mother of the Church and mother of vocations. Keep walking as pilgrims of hope on the path of the Gospel! I accompany you with my blessing and I ask you, please, to pray for me.”