The United Nations logo is seen at U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 4, 2023. / Credit: DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).

The Holy See’s delegation to the United Nations is organizing a March 19 event in conjunction with the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women titled “The Scourge of Pornography in the Digital Age.”

This event will address the social impact resulting from the widespread availability of pornographic content on the internet and will take place at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

The conference will feature experts in law, psychology, and pastoral care who will analyze the social consequences of pornography, especially for women and children.

Speakers will include Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Julia Dezelski, associate director for marriage and family life at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Maria Parker, assistant director for the laity at the secretariat; and Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan, vice president and director of public policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

Also participating will be Teresa Gerns Jiménez-Villarejo, representative of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe; and Marissa Eckelkamp, policy adviser on marriage and family at the USCCB.

The event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the publication of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a resolution adopted by the United Nations on Sept. 15, 1995, at the conclusion of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

The document recognized the harmful effects of pornography on women and girls: fostering violence and reinforcing degrading portrayals.

However, the event organizers lamented that despite international efforts, “the proliferation of pornography in the digital age continues to represent a growing challenge, especially with the rise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media.”

In addition to the exploitation of children in the production of pornography, the event will address emerging forms of abuse, such as “sextortion” and “virtual child pornography,” practices that violate human dignity and have serious psychological and social consequences.

Pope Francis has described pornography as a “brutality” that requires urgent attention.

In 2015, the USCCB published the pastoral document “Create in Me a Pure Heart,” a response to raise awareness about the destructive effects of pornography and to help those affected by it to heal.

In this context, the event, organized by the Holy See, seeks to promote a global dialogue on current challenges and discuss effective strategies to counter this form of violence.

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

Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

March 13 marks the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:

2013

March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”

March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.

July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.

Pope Francis gives the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 2, 2013. Elise Harris/CNA.

July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.

July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.

Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.

2014

Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.

March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Nov. 29, 2014. Bohumil Petrik/CNA.

Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.

Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”

2015

Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.

March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.

May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.

Pope Francis at a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on June 17, 2015. Bohumil Petrik.

Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”

Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.

Pope Francis speaks to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2015. . L'Osservatore Romano.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.

Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.

Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.

2016

March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.

April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.

Pope Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Feb. 24, 2016. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.

Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.

Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.

2017

May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.

July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.

Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L'Osservatore Romano.

Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.

Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.

2018

Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.

Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”

Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.

Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”

Pope Francis at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.

2019

Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.

Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.

Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint declaration on human fraternity during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb. 4, 2019. Vatican Media.

Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.

Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.

2020

March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.

March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter's Square during his Urbi et Orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Vatican Media.2021

March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.

July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.

July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.

July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.

Pope Francis greets His Beatitude Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece on Dec. 5, 2021. Vatican Media2022

Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.

March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.

May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.

Pope Francis greeted the crowd in a wheelchair at the end of his general audience on Aug. 3, 2022. Daniel Ibanez/CNA

July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.

2023

Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.

Pope Francis greets a young boy a Mass in Juba, South Sudan on Feb. 5, 2023. Vatican Media

March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.  

April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.

April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.

Pope Francis stands on an altar erected outside the Parliament Building in Budapest's Kossuth Lajos' Square during a public outdoor Mass on April 30, 2023. Vatican Media

June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.

June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.

Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.

Pope Francis waves at the crowd of 1.5 million people who attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 6, 2023. Vatican Media.

Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.

Pope Francis meets with local priests and religious of Mongolia, which includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan), 33 women religious, and one bishop — Cardinal Giorgio Marengo — in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media

Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.

Pope Francis asks for a moment of silence at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. A Camargue cross, which comes from the Camargue area of France, represents the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The three tridents represent faith, the anchor represents hope, and the heart represents charity. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.

Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29, 2023. Vatican Media

Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.

Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.

2024

Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”

Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.

Pope Francis meets with Argentina President Javier Milei in a private audience on Feb. 12, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

April 8 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”), a document that reaffirms the Church’s perennial opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and gender ideology. 

May 19 — Pope Francis appears on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview with Norah O’Donnell, where he states categorically that women’s ordination to the priesthood and the diaconate is off the table.

In an interview with 60 Minutes' Norah O'Donnell, Pope Francis took aim at his “conservative critics” in the United States. Credit: CBS News/Adam Verdugo

June 14 — Pope Francis becomes the first pope to address the G7 Summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia. In his remarks, he stresses that human dignity requires that the decisions of artificial intelligence (AI) be under the control of human beings. During the three-day event, the pope also meets with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Sept. 2-13 — Pope Francis embarks on a 12-day trip of more than 20,000 miles over seven flights through Asia and Oceania. The trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore is his most ambitious international trip yet and the longest of his 11-year pontificate. In East Timor, 600,000 Catholics attend Mass with the Holy Father.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Oct. 2-27 — The three-year Synod on Synodality concludes with the final session in Rome and the adoption of the final report, which in a surprise move Pope Francis signs immediately, stating he will not issue a separate postsynodal document.

Dec. 7 — Pope Francis holds a consistory at the Vatican in which he creates 21 new cardinals, including Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto; Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Isfahan, Iran; and Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, reflecting the pope’s emphasis on the Church’s global mission.

Pope Francis places the red biretta on Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, archbishop of Naples, during the consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica, Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Dec. 24 — On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to officially launch the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before Mass on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, officially launching the Jubilee Year 2025. Credit: Vatican Media2025

Jan. 14 — “Hope,” Pope Francis’ autobiography, is released. The book marks the first time a pope has provided a first-person narration of the episodes that have marked his entire life, in this case from his childhood in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants to becoming the successor of St. Peter.

Feb. 14 — Pope Francis is hospitalized with bronchitis and later develops double pneumonia.

March 13 — While still in Gemelli Hosptial in Rome for treatment for respiratory illnesses, Pope Francis celebrates the 12th anniversay of his election to the papacy.

This story was last updated on March 11, 2025.

Pope Francis with Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako in 2020. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 17:55 pm (CNA).

The Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, said with emotion that most of the Iraqi population has been distressed by Pope Francis’ extended hospitalization and that even “Muslims are praying for his recovery.”

Sako revealed that both the current Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudan, and Mustafa Abdellatif Mshatat, a politician who was in office when the pope traveled to the country in March 2021, have personally called him to inquire about the Holy Father’s health.

“They were very concerned and asked me to convey their closeness to him; I did so through the secretariat of state,” the cardinal explained in a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Sako said with emotion that all the Chaldean churches and convents pray for Pope Francis every day. “He is also our father, not only of the Latin Church, and every day we await the medical report,” he explained.

The cardinal emphasized that Muslims, too, have wanted to show their closeness to him.

“Many Muslims contact me every day to find out how he is,” he continued, adding that they hold dear the memory of the Holy Father’s visit to this country four years ago, in March 2021.

“No one forgets it. Those were three days when we were like in paradise, without attacks, bombs, or deaths from war,” he recalled.

The prelate also noted that Al-Kadhimi went all out for Pope Francis’ visit, having “the streets decorated and music played to create a festive atmosphere.”

“Everywhere there were pictures of the Holy Father and the Vatican flag,” he added.

Sako was on a pilgrimage last week to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, the common father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This town in southern Iraq is considered one of the most important sacred sites for Christianity in ancient Mesopotamia.

“We made the Stations of the Cross for Pope Francis, all the priests from Baghdad together with about 20 nuns, and there were also some Muslims with us. It was truly a beautiful moment,” he related.

South Sudan is also praying for the Holy Father

South Sudan is another country that fondly remembers Pope Francis’ visit in early 2023 and continues to pray for him during these difficult times.

Pilgrimage in advance of the pope's 2023 visit to South Sudan. Credit: Courtesy of the bishop of Rumbek

The bishop of the Diocese of Bentiu, Christian Carlassare, who was in charge of some of the preparations and organized a 250-mile pilgrimage with the country’s youth to prepare for the pope’s arrival, assured that the South Sudanese “love him very much.”

“They didn’t just warmly embrace him when he visited them two years ago. They know that the pope’s heart is in South Sudan and all the peripheries of the world,” he noted.

Likewise, no one will forget the gesture of peace Pope Francis made in April 2019 when he organized a spiritual retreat at the Vatican with the then-president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his opponent, Riek Machar.

During his trip to the country, the second stop on his journey to Central Africa after spending three days in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the pope vehemently criticized the violence, which has been seared into that society’s conscience.

“These are years of wars and conflicts that seem to have no end. Violent clashes have even recently been recorded, while reconciliation processes and promises of peace remain unfulfilled,” Pope Francis said upon landing in Juba.

All the parishes in the country are praying for his recovery. “All the churches are praying the rosary, remembering the Holy Father especially in this time of fatigue and illness,” he said.

Carlassare said the people feel the pope’s “strong presence despite the weakness of his body.”

“It is the light of a person who is spontaneous, who is present, who loves Christ and loves his Church,” he concluded.

Indonesia: interfaith prayers for pope’s health

In addition, young Indonesians of different faiths have also wanted to join the prayers arriving from around the world to the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where the pontiff remains hospitalized with double pneumonia.

“In a gesture of unity and hope, young people and leaders of different religions gathered at Hati Indonesia, the geodesic dome of the Scholas Occurrentes center created by young people from the movement, to offer interfaith prayers for the health of Pope Francis,” the movement said in a statement.

In Indonesia, young people of different religions pray for Pope Francis. Credit: Courtesy of Scholas Occurrentes

This space, inaugurated by the Holy Father in September 2024 during his apostolic visit to Indonesia, has become a symbol of the encounter between cultures and religions.

On this occasion, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists gathered to pray together for the Holy Father’s “speedy recovery.”

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

Hundreds of people gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis’ health on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 12, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflected Tuesday on the great challenge of illness and suffering for Pope Francis as he approaches a month’s hospital stay amid a series of health crises.

Before leading Tuesday evening’s recitation of rosary, held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, Koch drew parallels in the lives of Pope Francis and St. Peter.

“Truly, truly, I say to you when you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go,” Koch said, citing John 21:18.   

Commenting on the Gospel account when the resurrected Jesus asked Peter, the first pope, to follow him until the end, Koch asked: “How can we not recognize in these words, in fact, what our Holy Father — the successor of Peter — is also experiencing and struggling with?”

“Of course the situations are different, but also the suffering of a serious illness is a great challenge,” he said before starting Tuesday’s contemplation of the rosary’s sorrowful mysteries.  

Since Feb. 24, a cardinal has presided over the daily recitation of the rosary for the pope’s health. Hundreds of local Catholic faithful and jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to St. Peter’s Square to join the evening prayers open to the public.

“We ask for the intercession of Mary, the mother of hope, for the health of Pope Francis,” Koch prayed.

The 88-year-old pontiff has undergone various medical therapies to treat bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia as well as mild kidney problems since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital almost one month ago on Feb. 14.

Over the weeks, several Catholic faithful from Rome and abroad have also gathered outside Gemelli Hospital to pray for the Holy Father and have left behind written notes with well wishes, candles, and flowers before the St. John Paul II statue outside the facility.

Wednesday evening’s rosary at the Vatican was held at 6 p.m. local time and led by Cardinal ​​George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Father Raffaele Grimaldi, inspector general of chaplains in Italian prisons. / Credit: Almudena Martínez-Bordiú/ACI Prensa

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis decided to open for the first time in history a Holy Door in the Italian prison of Rebibbia during the Jubilee of Hope, a gesture that the prisoners welcomed as a sign of mercy, closeness, and hope.

His visit to Rebibbia set an example of what he called for in the bull Spes Non Confundit: to be “tangible signs of hope for so many brothers and sisters who live in conditions of hardship.”

Father Raffaele Grimaldi, inspector general of chaplains in Italian prisons, emphasized during a meeting with journalists organized by the ISCOM Association near the Vatican that the Holy Father knows “that those who have made mistakes need us to give them a hand so that they can get back on track.”

‘I learned to be a priest’ as a prison chaplain

Grimaldi left the chaplaincy in the Secondigliano prison in Naples — where he served prisoners for 23 years — to coordinate the 230 priests who care for the nearly 62,000 prisoners throughout Italy, of whom 20,000 are foreigners.

From his years as a chaplain, he noted that there were not only ordinary prisoners there “but also those in maximum security, people with a very extensive criminal history.”

The priest emphasized that his service “was for everyone” and that “it did not matter what crime the person had committed, because we should not identify the man who is in prison with his mistakes.”

“My experience in the Secondigliano prison was very intense; it formed me both humanly and spiritually. I always say that by being a chaplain, I learned to be a priest, because I met the weakest, the excluded, and above all, I realized there has to be mercy and forgiveness.”

The priest also emphasized that this has been the “most beautiful experience I have ever had: being with them for 23 years, with their families, trying to be a sign of hope for them.”

“We chaplains are truly convinced that if we help the prisoners, they can regain confidence in themselves,” he said. Grimaldi also noted that the prisoners pray every day for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis and that they were able to listen to the audio message he sent on March 6 from Gemelli Hospital, which they welcomed with hope.

A new culture of acceptance

Regarding the Holy Father’s call to carry out acts of clemency toward prisoners during the holy year, as took place in Cuba in January with the release of 553 prisoners following mediation by the Vatican, Grimaldi commented that when the pope issues a call, “it sets people free.”

“The pope’s appeal is based on the Gospel, an appeal to the conscience and responsibility of others. The pardon and act of clemency that the pope asks for is a call to mercy. We know well that the prisoners are there for reasons of justice, but we must never separate mercy from justice. Otherwise, justice becomes revenge,” he added.

Grimaldi noted that Rebibbia has become a “symbol of all the prisons in the world,” a place that the Holy Father chose “to say to the whole world: Let’s try to take a look at our prisons.”

However, he pointed out that Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to prisoners since the beginning of his pontificate by washing their feet on Holy Thursday and by his continuous appeals for mercy.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the priest emphasized that “the role of the laity is fundamental” since it is necessary to “convey a message of acceptance.” 

“The prison door has been opened so that one can cross over and enter the prison. But we must not forget that this door is also open for others to leave. It is not only an entrance but also an exit,” he pointed out.

The priest said his greatest concern is that “when these prisoners leave, they don’t find acceptance or openness. There are still many prejudices and, to be frank, society is afraid to accept those who leave prison.”

The priest emphasized the need to “educate the community and society to be more welcoming and not indifferent to so many problems,” creating a new culture and ending indifference.

He also noted that on April 9, members of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, led by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, will pass through the Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison to celebrate the jubilee.

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

Black smoke billows over the city after drone strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Sept. 19, 2023, amid Russia's military invasion on Ukraine. / Credit: YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images

Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Since being admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14, Pope Francis has dedicated time to work and pray while being treated for bilateral pneumonia and other medical conditions. And as the world continues to pray for him throughout his prolonged hospitalization, the 88-year-old pontiff has asked people to remember to pray for God’s “gift of peace” for those suffering in the following countries:

Ukraine

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022, Pope Francis has never failed to ask people to pray for “martyred Ukraine” and the millions of victims of war who have been killed, injured, or left homeless as a result of the ongoing conflict.

In January, the pope said his “wish for the year 2025” was for the entire international community to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has “caused so much bloodshed in war-torn Ukraine.” Since the outbreak of the war, the Holy Father has called for the release of all prisoners and accessible humanitarian assistance for those in need.

Though official numbers of Ukrainian and Russian war casualties are unknown, the Wall Street Journal reported in September 2024 that an estimated 1 million people have died or been injured since the large-scale Russian invasion. The United Nations has verified that at least 12,600 civilians have been killed and an additional 29,390 civilians injured since February 2022.

“A painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!” the pope shared in his Feb. 23 Angelus message from Gemelli Hospital. “I reiterate my closeness to the suffering people of Ukraine.”

Democratic Republic of Congo

The Congo’s complex humanitarian situation — exacerbated by natural disasters, armed conflicts, and epidemics — has not gone unnoticed for the pontiff who visited the central African nation in 2023.

The Holy Father has often addressed the plight of the Congolese to pilgrims who come to the Vatican to attend his general audiences or to pray the Sunday Angelus with him in St. Peter’s Square.

On Feb. 14, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported more than 21.2 million people in the Congo are in need of aid.

Amid the country’s worsening humanitarian situation after the fall of Goma, in North Kivu, and Bukavu, in South Kivu, to M23 forces backed by Rwandan fighters, Aid to the Church in Need reported Christians have been targeted by armed groups after more than 70 people were massacred in a Protestant church and an additional 100 people taken hostage by terrorists in North Kivu last month.

Myanmar (Burma)

Pope Francis is the first pontiff to visit the majority-Buddhist southeast Asian nation that has been afflicted by heightened political unrest and violence since a 2021 military coup that thwarted the country’s transition toward democratic rule.

Appealing to warring parties to lay down their arms, the pope has asked the international community to remember the country’s elderly, children, sick, and the Rohingya ethnic minority.

More than 18.6 million people, 6 million of whom are children, are in need of humanitarian aid, according to a Feb. 21 report published by United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Sudan

Pope Francis said “the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, is causing the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world, with dramatic consequences in South Sudan too” and during his Jan. 26 Angelus address renewed his appeal to those who are at war in Sudan to negotiate peace and end the hostilities.

In a March 10 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the conflict in Sudan has “caused the world’s largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis, with 12.8 million forcibly displaced.” WHO reported the country’s malnutrition rates are “among the highest globally,” with 4.9 million children under 5 and pregnant women “acutely malnourished.”  

Attacks on health care facilities also contributed to the August 2024 outbreak of cholera in the north African nation that has led to 1,500 deaths out of the 55,000 cases reported, according to UNICEF.  

Palestine

The impact of the decades-long political instability and violence in Gaza and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) — two Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 —  is a concern close to the heart of the 88-year-old pope. 

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, declaration of the Israel-Hamas war, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ February 2025 report states more than 100,000 people have been injured in the conflict. According to the report at least 34,399 Palestinians — the majority of them women and children — were killed in Gaza between Nov. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024.

While undergoing complex medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital, the Holy Father continues to make a daily call to the Holy Family Church in Gaza to check in on their welfare as approximately 600 people are still seeking shelter at the parish.

During a Dec. 6, 2024, Aid to the Church in Need press conference, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, told journalists the pope’s calls are “a very big support” for the community of Gaza.

Israel

Unable to read his Jan. 9 address to the diplomatic corp earlier this year due to a persistent cold, in his prepared speech the pontiff nevertheless stressed his great desire for peace in the country, a permanent cease-fire, and the release of Israeli hostages detained in Gaza.

More than 250 Israelis were taken hostage following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. At least 1,200 Israelis were killed on the same day, according to a BBC report. The attack, which sparked Israel’s declaration of war against the extreme Islamic terrorist group, was strongly condemned by the Holy Father.

​​”My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust,” the Holy Father expressed in his 2025 speech. “So that future generations can live side by side in the two states, in peace and security.”

Praying for harmony and mutual respect among Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Holy Land has been a daily prayer of the pope since the early years of his pontificate. Following his 2014 pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Holy See invited former President of Israel Shimon Peres, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, and Patriarch Bartholomew I to the Vatican for the Invocation of Peace. 

Sister Giustina Holubets (left) pictured during a commemorations for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Lviv, Ukraine, Oct. 15, 2024. / Credit: Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life

Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Since 2020, a pandemic and then an active war have caused untold tragedy for Ukrainians, but these circumstances have also allowed the country to confront death and grief in a way it never did before, according to a religious sister who offers palliative care to unborn children and their families.

In Ukraine, “one couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about death before the COVID pandemic,” Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, SSMI, told CNA earlier this month.

The more open a society is about death and loss and grief, she said, the easier it is to know how to respond to a family going through the pain of losing a child in the womb or shortly after birth.

Holubets traveled to Rome to attend a workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life on March 3–4. The scientific academy chose Holubets as the recipient of its 2025 “Guardian of Life” Award. 

A Byzantine Catholic and member of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holubets has degrees in bioethics, psychology, biology, and genetics. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit organization “Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life” in Lviv, Ukraine, which she currently leads.

Commemorations for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Lviv, Ukraine, Oct. 15, 2024. Credit: Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of LifeStarting out

Holubets’ work in perinatal care began by chance in 2013. She was back in Ukraine after studying for a master’s degree in Rome, and while working in a medical genetics clinic, she met a pregnant mother whose unborn child had received a fatal prenatal diagnosis. The woman did not want to abort her baby, but she had nowhere to turn to for support in her decision to carry her child to term.

“It has always touched me,” the sister said, “that the Church says, ‘Do not abort,’ but the woman who keeps that child [with a prenatal diagnosis], in reality, feels alone. It’s not enough to say do not abort, but we must give support to the end.”

Holubets noted that when parents receive a life-limiting diagnosis for their unborn child, “society doesn’t understand, and doctors don’t understand what to do either.”

“So, we started, very slowly, to become closer to mothers in this situation,” she explained.

By 2017, Holubets and her collaborators — largely families who have also experienced loss and want to help others in similar situations — realized the question of palliative care in the perinatal period (before and up to a year post-birth) needed a change of mentality on a societal level.

At the Lord’s prompting, the sister and those serving with her started “to speak up about perinatal grief, because no one wants to speak up about this.” They founded the nonprofit and started to commemorate on Oct. 15 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, inviting families to light candles in the churches and squares.

Commemorations for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Lviv, Ukraine, Oct. 15, 2024. Credit: Perinatal Hospice - Imprint of Life

Some countries also celebrate preborn life on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, established as the International Day of the Unborn Child by St. John Paul II.

Preparing for death

The hospice association does not have a physical center but can be found “where the baby is during the pregnancy: in the womb of the mother,” the sister said. “So we are close to the mother.”

Some of what the organization does includes phone consultations and being present at medical visits and at births if asked. If a priest cannot arrive in time during an emergency situation, Holubets will baptize the baby at the parents’ request.

After birth, volunteers help the family create positive memories about their child by dressing the baby, taking photos, and making prints of their tiny feet. They also continue to walk with the parents in their grief.

“We have discovered that our mothers are prepared to give birth, but we must also prepare them for the death. This is why, then, we enjoy every moment with that baby. So that when there is the death too, the moms can feel more calm because they have done everything they can for their baby,” Holubets said.

In society today, women receive a lot of pressure to abort children with fatal or life-limiting diagnoses. Holubets said in her experience, this is often due to selfishness on the part of doctors, who are unsure how to accompany families in a difficult journey of perinatal loss and grief. Plainly speaking, an abortion is also not registered as a fetal demise.

But women, the religious sister underlined, deserve to have all of the information with all of the options presented to them so they can make the decision. “Because ultimately, she should also take responsibility for the consequences of either an abortion or birth,” Holubets said.

Neither path is easy, she emphasized: “There is always the memory, there is always death — death after an abortion, death after a birth.”

But what happens next changes everything, she added. For one, an abortion does not erase the memory of the child, but for the mother it can lead to depression, difficulty conceiving again, and conflict in her relationships. Women can feel anger toward their husbands or other family members for allowing them to go through with an abortion, casting blame on others for the decision.

On the other hand, if a woman makes the decision to continue the pregnancy and to care for the child for as long as he or she lives, “here too there is the memory, there is death, but the parents remained parents, not those who kill,” Holubets said.

“Moreover, the parents have given all of their love to that baby who existed for that brief period,” she added. Even if the baby dies, “their maternity and paternity continue until the end of life. If another child enters the family, they can speak to him or her about their older sister or older brother, they can show them the photo, there is the spot to visit at the cemetery.”

Grief is always there, but these things help, Holubets said. “Life always has losses; how can we experience them well?” is the question we must ask ourselves.

“So, if experiencing loss in our life is something normal, given to us by the Lord, we must not just resist it but experience it,” she said. “Sometimes you must also seek counsel, give meaning to [loss], provide resources, change the mentality of the society [to show] that it’s normal, it’s not shameful.”

The Swiss Guard honored the soldiers who died in the Sack of Rome during a ceremony in Roman Protomartyrs Square in the Vatican on May 5, 2023. / Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 10, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

The mission of the Swiss Guard, the oldest military corps in the world, is to ensure the security of the pope and protect the cardinals when the chair of Peter is vacant. But what happens when the Holy Father is outside the Vatican walls, as is the case now with Pope Francis in the hospital?

Currently, the Swiss Guard is led by Col. Christoph Graf, and its members are responsible for guarding access to Vatican territory, accompanying the pope on his apostolic journeys, and maintaining order and protocol during papal ceremonies and state receptions.

March 10 marks 25 days since Pope Francis was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome. On Feb. 14, he left St. Martha’s House where he normally resides, suffering from bronchitis that later developed into double pneumonia.

During these weeks, despite the absence of the pope, the Swiss Guards have not left their posts. Eliah Cinotti, the head of press office of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, confirmed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that “there are no changes in the ordinary service.”

However, he pointed out that because Pope Francis “is not physically present” in the Vatican, “we have a decrease in extraordinary services, such as general audiences, receptions for presidents or ambassadors, or Masses.”

“Despite this, we support some events in the Vatican when necessary, such as [on Sunday] when we were present at the Mass for the Jubilee of Volunteers, even though the Holy Father was unable to participate,” he explained.

During his latest meeting with the Swiss Guard at the Vatican, Pope Francis highlighted the value of its members marrying, having a family and children, emphasizing the importance of family life in their service.

“I like the fact that the guards get married; I like that they have children, that they have a family. This is very important, very important. This aspect has become very important, since the number of guards married with children has increased, and the well-being of families is of fundamental importance for the Church and society,” he said on Jan. 18 at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

Cinotti emphasized that the Swiss Guard “prays and trusts that our Holy Father will recover soon so he can return to the Vatican as soon as possible.”

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

Thousands of volunteers in colorful safety vests fill St. Peter’s Square during the Jubilee of Volunteers at the Vatican on March 9, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday thanked volunteers for the closeness and tenderness they show others in need of their care.

As the Holy Father continues medical treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican released his March 9 Sunday homily and Angelus message dedicated to the approximately 25,000 men and women participating in the March 8–9 Jubilee of the World of Volunteering. 

At the conclusion of his homily, the pope thanked volunteers associated with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations for following Jesus by serving others.

“On the streets and in homes, in the company of the sick, the suffering, and the imprisoned, with the young and the elderly, your generosity and commitment offer hope to our entire society,” the pontiff shared in his prepared homily. 

“In the deserts of poverty and loneliness, all those small gestures are helping to make a new humanity blossom in the garden that is God’s dream, always and everywhere, for all of us,” he continued.

In his Angelus message, the 88-year-old pontiff said volunteers bear witness to the “primacy of gratuitousness, solidarity, and service to those most in need.” 

“In our societies, too enslaved to market logic, where everything risks being subject to the criterion of interest and the quest for profit, volunteering is prophecy and a sign of hope,” the pope said.

“I express my gratitude to those who are engaged in this field: Thank you for offering your time and abilities; thank you for the closeness and tenderness with which you care for others, reawakening hope in them!”

Calling those who care for the sick “a sign of Lord’s presence,” the Holy Father expressed particular gratitude toward the doctors and medical staff caring for him at Gemelli Hospital.

“Brothers and sisters, during my prolonged hospitalization here, I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care,” he said. “We need this, the ‘miracle of tenderness’ that accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain.”

The pope on Sunday also thanked those who have and continue to pray for his health and healing since being admitted to the hospital more than three weeks ago on Feb. 14: “Heartfelt thanks to you all! I pray for you too.”

In a March 9 statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican said it will hold the Roman Curia’s annual spiritual exercises from March 10–14 this year.

“In accordance with tradition, this time of contemplation and prayer represents a moment of silence and discernment for the Holy Father’s collaborators, who will gather in a spirit of reflection and listening to the Word of God, continuing to pray for his health,” the Vatican statement said.

The pope in his Angelus message said he will “join spiritually” those participating in this month’s spiritual exercises.

During the March 10–14 spiritual exercises, the Vatican said the recitation of the holy rosary for the Holy Father’s health will be held at 5 p.m. local time inside the Paul VI Audience Hall instead of 9 p.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square.

Since Feb. 24, cardinals of the Roman Curia have led daily prayer evenings, open to the public, in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s recovery.

At the end of his Sunday Angelus message, the pope asked people to pray for the “gift of peace” for Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria.

“I entrust you all to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary,” he said. “Happy Sunday, and arrivederci [goodbye]!”

A balloon with an image of Pope Francis is pictured outside the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia, on March 3, 2025. / Credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Mar 9, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday said defeats are not definitive for those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s love and forgiveness.

In his prepared March 9 homily for the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father said difficulties and trials do not “end in failure” for Christians who embrace their relationship with God our redeemer.

“In the face of temptation, we sometimes fall; we are all sinners,” the papal text said. “Our defeat, however, is not definitive, because following our every fall, God lifts us up by his infinite love and forgiveness.”

The Holy Father was unable to preside over the Mass for the first Sunday of Lent, which coincided with the last day of the Jubilee for the World of Volunteering, due to ongoing medical treatment in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. 

In his place, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided over the Sunday Mass, attended by thousands of uniformed volunteers belonging to nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations. 

“Let us consider three aspects of Jesus’ temptation and of our own: its beginning, the way it takes place, and its result,” Czerny said, reading the pope’s homily. “In this way, we will find inspiration for our journey of conversion.”

Reflecting on the different Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the pope said Christians should not feel afraid or threatened by the “beginning” of temptation. 

“Whenever we ask God not to lead us into temptation (cf. Mt 6:13), we need to remember that he has already answered that prayer through Jesus, his incarnate word, who remains with us always,” the pope shared in his written homily. 

“The Lord is close to us and cares for us, especially in times of trial and uncertainty, when the tempter makes his voice heard,” he continued. 

According to the Holy Father, “the way” the devil tries to tempt Jesus and his followers is to doubt and reject the “filial relationship” with God our Father.

“In his perversion, the devil wants to destroy that bond,” the pontiff explained. “Jesus’ relationship with the Father is not something to be grasped at (cf. Phil 2:6) or boasted of in order to achieve success and attract followers but rather a gift that he shares with the world for our salvation.”

“The devil whispers into our ear that God is not really our Father, that he has in fact abandoned us,” the Holy Father said. “Yet just when the devil would have us believe that the Lord is far from us and would tempt us to despair, God draws all the closer to us, giving his life for the redemption of the world.”

For Christians, the pope stressed that the “result” of temptations — when faced with the help of Jesus, the “Anointed One” — is the eventual defeat of Satan, “the tempter.” 

“Our testing does not end in failure, because, in Christ, we are redeemed from evil,” he said.  “Jesus himself opens up before us this new path of liberation and redemption.” 

The 88-year-old pontiff concluded his Sunday homily by greeting Jubilee for the World of Volunteering participants and asking the Holy Spirit to sustain Christians throughout their Lenten journey toward Holy Week and Easter — “the central mystery of our faith” in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Pope Francis is hugged by a young visitor at his general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Mar 8, 2025 / 06:45 am (CNA).

As Pope Francis continues to receive treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and his condition remains stable, the pontiff remains involved with Church affairs.

On Saturday, Pope Francis addressed pilgrims of the Movement for Life in a statement issued from his hospital room, which Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, delivered during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on March 8.

In his message, the 88-year-old pontiff thanked the pro-life pilgrims on their organization’s 50th anniversary, praising their concrete support for mothers experiencing difficult pregnancies.

Pope Francis encouraged the Movement for Life to continue its mission, noting that “there is still and more than ever a need for people of all ages who concretely dedicate themselves to the service of human life, especially when it is most fragile and vulnerable; because it is sacred, created by God for a great and beautiful destiny.”

Medical staff continue to provide Pope Francis with “high-flow oxygenation” via nasal cannulas during daytime hours while he uses “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” overnight to support his breathing. “The night passed quietly; the pope is resting,” read the brief Vatican update issued on Saturday morning.

Vatican officials confirmed the pope will again not publicly appear for the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer. Instead, as has been done in recent weeks, his reflection’s text will be published.

Similarly, the homily for the pope at Sunday’s Mass for the Jubilee of Volunteers will be read by Cardinal Michael Czerny, who will also lead the rosary in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m. local time on Saturday, gathering the faithful to pray for the Holy Father.

After a heartfelt audio message from the pope was played in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday evening, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni explained it was Francis’ desire to record and play the greeting to thank everyone who is praying for him.

A Muslim chaplain prays during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. / Credit: DVIDSHUB via Flickr, CC BY 20

Vatican City, Mar 7, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has expressed its solidarity with Muslims participating in the Ramadan fast, noting that Catholics also fast and do penance during the season of Lent and inviting greater dialogue and friendship between people of the two religions.

“Our world is thirsting for fraternity and genuine dialogue,” a March 7 message from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue said. “Together, Muslims and Christians can bear witness to this hope in the conviction that friendship is possible despite the burden of history and ideologies that promote exclusion.”

“Hope,” it continued, “is no mere optimism: It is a virtue rooted in faith in God, the Merciful, our Creator.”

In 2025, Ramadan runs from approximately Feb. 28 to March 29. It concludes with the three-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

The Christian season of Lent began on March 5 and will end on April 17 with the three days known as the Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — followed by Easter Sunday.

“This year, Ramadan largely coincides with Lent, which for Christians is a period of fasting, supplication, and conversion to Christ,” the dicastery said. “This proximity in the spiritual calendar offers us a unique opportunity to walk side by side, Christians and Muslims, in a common process of purification, prayer, and charity.”

The Vatican’s annual message for Ramadan was signed by the dicastery’s new prefect, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, and its secretary, Father Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage.

Pope Francis appointed Koovakad prefect of the dicastery at the end of January, filling the vacancy left by Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who died in late 2024.

An Indian from the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Koovakad was previously responsible for the organization of papal trips.

In its message, the interreligious dicastery noted similarities between the Muslim observance of Ramadan and the Catholic observance of Lent.

“By abstaining from food and drink, Muslims learn to control their desires and turn to what is essential. This time of spiritual discipline is an invitation to cultivate piety, the virtue that brings one closer to God and opens the heart to others,” it said. 

“In the Christian tradition, the holy season of Lent invites us to follow a similar path: Through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving we seek to purify our hearts and refocus on the One who guides and directs our lives,” it went on. “These spiritual practices, though expressed differently, remind us that faith is not merely about outward expressions but a path of inner conversion.”

The dicastery said it wanted to reflect on how Christians and Muslims can become “genuine brothers and sisters, bearing common witness to God’s friendship with all humanity.”

“Our trust in God,” Koovakad’s message underlined, “is a treasure that unites us, far beyond our differences. It reminds us that we are all spiritual, incarnate, beloved creatures, called to live in dignity and mutual respect.”

“What is more, we desire to become guardians of this sacred dignity by rejecting all forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion,” the dicastery continued. “This year, as our two spiritual traditions converge in celebrating Ramadan and Lent, we have a unique opportunity to show the world that faith transforms people and societies and that it is a force for unity and reconciliation.”

In a prerecorded audio message, Pope Francis thanked those gathered for the rosary prayer service in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday night, March 6, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media/EWTN YouTube

CNA Staff, Mar 6, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

In a prerecorded message, Pope Francis thanked those gathered for the rosary prayer service in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday night.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square; I accompany you from here,” the Holy Father said in Spanish. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.” 

The Holy Father’s voice was hoarse, and he was noticeably out of breath in the brief audio message, which the Holy See Press Office said was recorded today. 

The message marks the first time Francis’ voice has been heard publicly since his hospitalization 21 days ago. It was met with applause by those gathered in the square. 

Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, led Thursday night’s rosary. 

“We gather in prayer for the health of the Holy Father Francis with Mary, Mother of the Church and of Good Counsel,” he said in his opening prayer.

“The Lord filled Mary of Nazareth with gifts so that she might become a worthy mother of the Redeemer. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she sought in everything and always the will of the Lord, and magnifying his mercy she adhered intimately to Christ. To her, constituted the mother of believers, we turn to a sure refuge,” he continued.

The Vatican announced on Feb. 24 that cardinals in Rome would lead a nightly rosary for Pope Francis with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin presiding over the inaugural gathering. The nightly rosary has been broadcast across EWTN’s television networks and digital platforms. 

“Starting this evening, the cardinals residing in Rome, along with all collaborators of the Roman Curia and the Diocese of Rome, responding to the sentiments of the people of God, will gather in St. Peter’s Square at 9 p.m. to recite the holy rosary for the health of the Holy Father,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement at the time. 

Cardinal Angelo De Donatis sprinkles ashes during the celebration of Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Basilica of Santa Sabina located on Rome’s Aventine Hill. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis said the Lenten journey reminds the Church that hope in Jesus Christ ultimately overcomes fears of fragility, weakness, and the brevity of life.

“Made of ashes and earth, we experience fragility through illness, poverty, and the hardships that can suddenly befall us and our families,” the pope said in his homily prepared for Ash Wednesday. 

“Lent, however, is also an invitation to rekindle our hope,” he said. “We are invited to lift our eyes to the One who rises from the depths of death and brings us from the ashes of sin and death to the glory of eternal life.”

The pope is continuing his medical treatment at Gemelli Hospital and was unable to attend the Mass held inside the Basilica of Santa Sabina located on Rome’s Aventine Hill.

“The ashes remind us that we are dust, but they also set us on a journey toward the hope to which we are called,” Cardinal Angelo De Donatis said, reading the papal text. “Jesus descended to the dust of the earth and, by his resurrection, has drawn us with himself into the Father’s heart.”

Focusing on Easter as the reason for undertaking the journey of Lent, the pope in his homily told the congregation of cardinals, bishops, and religious brothers and sisters of Benedictine and Dominican orders that the risen Lord is waiting for us “at the end of the road.”

Cardinals, bishops, and religious brothers and sisters of Benedictine and Dominican orders participate in Ash Wednesday Mass on March 5, 2025, at the Basilica of Santa Sabina located on Rome’s Aventine Hill. Credit: Vatican Media

“The hope of Easter that we journey toward reassures us of God’s forgiveness,” the Holy Father said, quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI. “Even while submerged in the ashes of sin, hope opens us up to the joyful acknowledgment of life.”

Acknowledging the “social and political realities of our time” — including war, ideological opposition, abuse of power, and exploitation — the 88-year-old head of the Church said the world’s problems should spur people to walk together, be open with one another, and turn to our God who wants peace and reconciliation.

“Let us turn back to God, let us return to him with all our hearts,” the pope said. “Let us learn from almsgiving to go beyond ourselves, sharing each other’s needs and nurturing the hope of a fairer world.” 

In his homily, the Holy Father also said accepting the fragility of our human condition “is good for us” as it reminds us who we really are “despite the masks we wear” and of our need for God.    

“It reshapes us, reduces the severity of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another: None of us is God; we are all on a journey,” he said.

“With this hope in our hearts, let us begin our journey. Let us be reconciled with God,” the pope reiterated at the end of his March 5 homily.

null / Credit: maxuser/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

A high-level gathering of judges, legal scholars, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts convened in Vatican City this week to explore the impact of AI on justice, democracy, and human dignity. 

The two-day workshop, titled “Artificial Intelligence, Justice, and Democracy,” was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Argentina-based Pan-American Committee of Judges for Social Rights and Franciscan Doctrine (COPAJU) and its academic branch, the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Institute for Legal Research (IFBC).

The conference, held March 4–5, brought together over 60 participants, including American policymakers such as Joseph Kennedy III, U.S. Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, and Congressman Richard E. Neal. 

Discussions centered on the ethical challenges posed by AI, its influence on judicial decision-making, and its potential to shape democratic institutions.

“As with all other aspects of technical life that need an ethical framework, Church authorities leave to the experts in a particular field the burden and the honor of identifying what are the key emerging ethical problems in that field and then work with them to indicate the solutions that can be proposed to governments and to the wider public,” Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences, said in her opening address to the conference.

“In this way, the Church is present in the debate both placing confidence in those responsible for these technologies and for their uses, and in making herself available to participate in and support the moral, ethical, and political efforts of all people of goodwill to direct these technologies appropriately.”

AI and democracy 

One of the major focuses of the conference was AI’s influence on democratic institutions. Experts discussed the potential for AI to increase citizen participation and improve access to information.  

However, they also warned of AI’s capacity to spread misinformation, manipulate public opinion, and undermine democratic processes. 

“We’ve heard a lot about the potential benefits to democracy, about greater gains and efficiency and the delivery of human services,” Kennedy said at the conference.  

“I will say however from my perspective as a person who had to run multiple campaigns and as someone who sees the challenge at this moment of disinformation and misinformation and the challenges that we are seeing throughout this platform in the United States, I have real concerns.” 

“What happens when voices being heard in the midst of a campaign … when those voices aren’t actually people, but deep fakes that have been programmed? … What happens when campaigns can create these videos … depicting scandalous or outrageous activity days before an election to swing a few votes to tip the election in a certain way?” he asked. 

Discussions also addressed AI’s role in enhancing civic engagement. AI-driven platforms could help facilitate direct feedback from citizens to their representatives, making leaders more accessible. However, there are also concerns about privacy risks and the potential misuse of AI-powered surveillance tools. 

Justice in an AI-driven world

Another important theme of the conference was AI’s role in the justice system. Participants examined how AI can both perpetuate and mitigate biases in areas such as criminal justice, employment, and housing. 

“Justice and democracy could be reduced to their lowest level if new technologies lack proper state control, opening the doors to a historic period of techno-authoritarianism,” Roberto Andrés Gallardo, president of COPAJU and IFBC, told the conference. 

“The great question of the present is whether the corporations are controlled by the governments or whether the governments end up co-opted by the IT corporations,” he said. 

The concept note for the conference, published by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, highlighted both the opportunities and risks associated with AI. While AI has the potential to advance research, improve work conditions, democratize access to knowledge, and aid medical advances, it also poses significant potential threats, including disinformation, economic inequality, and AI-driven surveillance technologies. 

“We must endeavor to understand how AI is reshaping the economy, society, work, and family,” the note stated. “Yet Pope Francis highlights AI’s duality, showing promise and concern. AI offers multiple possibilities and poses risks, including increased inequality, misinformation, the displacement of workers, the reinforcement of biases, and the corrosion of democracy, justice, and human dignity.” 

The pope has been vocal about the ethical challenges posed by AI. In his message to the 2025 World Economic Forum, he warned against the dangers of a “technocratic paradigm,” which prioritizes efficiency over human dignity. 

“Technological developments that do not improve life for everyone, but instead create or worsen inequalities and conflicts, cannot be called true progress,” Pope Francis said. 

AI and the digital divide

On the second day of the conference, participants explored AI’s implications for developing nations and underserved communities. The discussions focused on the digital divide, the role of AI in sustainable development, and strategies for ensuring equitable access to AI-driven technologies. 

Throughout the conference, participants echoed Pope Francis’ call for an ethical framework for AI development that prioritizes human dignity and social responsibility. The pope has repeatedly warned against allowing machines to make decisions that should remain under human control, particularly in areas such as automated weapons systems. 

“We emphasize the importance of prioritizing human dignity, agency, and decision-making in the face of AI advancements,” the conference organizers stated in the conference booklet. “We warn against delegating decisions to machines when said decisions undermine human freedom and responsibility and are detached from ethical considerations.” 

The Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences highlighted a quote from Geoffrey Hinton, the 2024 Nobel Laureate in Physics known as the “Godfather of AI,” who said: “We’re entering a period of great uncertainty where we’re dealing with things we’ve never dealt with before.” 

“And normally, the first time you deal with something totally novel, you get it wrong. And we can’t afford to get it wrong with these things,” he said. 

A woman receives ashes on the observance of Ash Wednesday at a church in Manila, Philippines, on March 5, 2025. The 40-day period of Lent begins for Catholics around the world on Ash Wednesday. / Credit: TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis asked Christians on Ash Wednesday to set out in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, full of hope, throughout the season of Lent.

In his prepared March 5 catechesis, the Holy Father, who remains in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for treatment of double pneumonia, spoke about the 12-year-old Jesus’ desire to live his mission as the Son of God.

“Jesus wants to live his vocation as the son of the Father who is at his service and lives immersed in his word,” he said. “Jesus’ first words [in the Bible] recognize that this paternity traces his origins from that of his heavenly Father, whose undisputed primacy he acknowledges.” 

In his catechesis, the Holy Father also reflected on how Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, had to mature in their own understanding of their growing son’s vocation and mission.

Reflecting on St. Luke’s Gospel account when the 12-year-old Jesus stayed back at the Temple of Jerusalem, the pope said Mary and Joseph felt the pain of parents with a missing child.   

“Upon returning to the Temple,” the pope said, “they discover that he who, in their eyes, until a short time before, was still a child to protect, suddenly seems grown up, capable now of getting involved in discussions on the Scriptures, of holding his own with the teachers of the law.”

While having a “unique communion with the Word of God” as the mother of God, the Holy Father said Mary was not spared a demanding “apprenticeship” in learning God’s will at each moment of her life.

“Throughout this journey, the Virgin is a pilgrim of hope, in the strong sense that she becomes the ‘daughter of her Son,’ the first of his disciples,” the pope shared in his catechesis. 

“Mary brought into the world Jesus, hope of humanity,” he continued. “She nourished him, made him grow, followed him, letting herself be the first to be shaped by the Word of God.”

By allowing themselves to be led by Jesus, the pope said Christians can imitate the “response of love” of Mary and Joseph during the season of Lent. 

“Let us also set out in the footsteps of the Lord,” the pope said in his Ash Wednesday catechesis.

Pope Francis prays during Mass on the solemnity of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Mar 4, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for families in crisis.

“We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family but there’s no such thing as a perfect family,” Pope Francis said in a video released March 4. “Every family has its own problems as well as its tremendous joys.”

He pointed out that “every member of the family is important because each member is different than the others, each person is unique. But these differences can also cause conflict and painful wounds.” 

“And the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness,” the pope added. “Forgiveness means giving another chance; God does this with us all the time. God’s patience is infinite. He forgives us, lifts us up, gives us a new start.”

The Holy Father reminded the faithful that “forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope. Even when there’s no possibility of the happy ending we’d like, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive, and it brings peace, because it frees us from sadness and, above all, from resentment.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

Pope Francis takes part in the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat in Ariccia, Italy, in March 2016. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Mar 4, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The pope’s annual Lenten retreat will take place in the Vatican next week in “spiritual communion” with Pope Francis as he continues to receive treatment for respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

The theme of the retreat, which will take place from the evening of March 9 through the morning of March 14, is “The Hope of Eternal Life,” the Vatican announced Tuesday. During the week, the papal preacher, Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, will give 10 spiritual reflections on this theme to cardinals and other employees of the Roman Curia and Vatican.

It is the sixth consecutive year that Pope Francis has not participated in a joint Lenten retreat with the cardinals of the Roman Curia.

Since 2020, the pope has opted to do the spiritual exercises in an individual capacity. All of Francis’ appointments are usually canceled during the retreat, which is held during the first full week of Lent, a 40-day penitential season. 

The Vatican said cardinals, bishops, members of the Pontifical Family, priests, and laity working in the Vatican are all invited to attend the March 9–14 retreat, which will begin with vespers, or evening prayer, on Sunday, and have twice-daily meditations Monday through Thursday, concluding with a final reflection on Friday morning.

The custom of an annual papal retreat at the Vatican began during the pontificate of Pius XI. While it was first held during Advent, St. Paul VI changed the retreat’s dates to Lent in 1964.

Starting in Lent 2014, Pope Francis chose to hold the spiritual exercises at a retreat house in the town of Ariccia, about 20 miles southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills. The cardinal prefects of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia would also cancel work activities to join the pontiff for the week.

In 2020 the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis had withdrawn from the retreat due to a lingering cold. In 2021 and 2022 the retreat for the pope and curial officials was held on an individual basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The retreat was also private in 2023 and 2024.

Pilgrims from Chicago are among those who are stopping by Gemelli Hospital to pray for Pope Francis. / Credit: Almudena Martínez-Bordiú/ACI Prensa

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Since Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14, the world has focused its attention on Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

As people from different countries continue to arrive in the Eternal City to experience this year’s Jubilee of Hope, the hospital where Pope Francis is staying has also now become a part of their pilgrimage.

Just outside the hospital, hundreds of the faithful with their own stories stop to pray every day at the feet of the statue of St. John Paul II. Their gaze rises to heaven and, with special devotion, to the top floor of the hospital, where the pontiff continues to recover.

‘It’s not just a hospital. It’s like being at a general audience with the pope’

This past weekend, Father Enzo del Brocco, a Passionist priest, took a moment to pray with devotion before the statue of St. John Paul II for his mother, who was scheduled for surgery on March 1. 

“Knowing that she is in the same hospital with Pope Francis is very moving. He always says that the shepherd must have the smell of his sheep, and I think that he has it now in a special way with those who are here,” del Brocco said, his voice full of emotion.

“If my mother could, she would definitely try to get through security to see him. I’m sure she would! She’s very happy. It’s incredible, because she has been praying for him,” he told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, with a smile.

Father Enzo del Brocco is from Pittsburgh. Credit: Almudena Martínez-Bordiú/ACI Prensa

The priest from Pittsburgh emphasized how special this place is for him. “It’s not just a hospital. It’s a place where suffering is intertwined with hope, and people find a lot of consolation.”

“Many people who have been praying here tell me the same thing, they feel as if they are at a general audience with the pope, even when he cannot speak to them. And I think that’s the most beautiful thing.”

‘He has always been there for us, so now is the time to be here for him’

Sister Mary Jane traveled to Rome from Stockton, California, for the Jubilee of Hope. As another stop on her pilgrimage, she came to Gemelli with other women from St. Luke Church to show their closeness to the Holy Father.

“I think the most important thing we can do for the pope is to show how much we care and how much we love him as our father figure; praying for him and showing him that we care is the least we can do. He has always been there for us, so now is the time to be here for him,” she said.

The pilgrims expressed their faith that Jesus is the “supreme healer” and emphasized that prayer “strengthens, not only physically but spiritually. I think that is where the pope also draws strength,” Sister Mary Jane added.  

Before resuming their journey back to the center of Rome by train, Monica and Zoltan prayed silently before the lit candles bearing the face of Pope Francis. The couple travelled from Bucharest, Romania, on the occasion of their honeymoon 18 years ago in the Eternal City.

Stopping at Gemelli Hospital was a must for them. “It’s important to pray for his situation, although you always have to pray, no matter what the situation is,” Zoltan emphasized.

Both fondly remember the Holy Father’s apostolic journey to their country in 2019 and now wished to express to him the same closeness. “We pray every day, but only God knows what is best for him.”

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

A balloon with an image of Pope Francis stands outside Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia. Pope Francis suffered two new breathing attacks on March 3, 2025, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff struggles to recover from pneumonia. / Credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Monday had two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, according to the latest health update from the Vatican.

The Holy Father was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and has since been treated for respiratory infections, double pneumonia, and mild kidney insufficiency, alongside his other chronic illnesses.

“The Holy Father presented two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” the Holy See Press Office shared on Monday.

Gemelli Hospital medical staff performed two bronchoscopies March 3 to “remove large secretions” from the 88-year-old pontiff’s airways.

Though the pope’s medical condition remained stable, though complex, over the weekend, the Holy Father previously experienced a bronchospasm last Friday, which had led to an episode of “vomiting with inhalation.”

The Vatican said the Holy Father was “alert, oriented, and cooperative” during the procedures and resumed “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” Monday afternoon.

After more than two weeks of hospitalization, Gemelli medical staff said the pope’s prognosis “remains guarded.” 

Since the pope’s admission into the hospital, hundreds of jubilee pilgrims from around the world have come to Gemelli Hospital to stop and pray for the Holy Father’s recovery as part of their pilgrimage in the Eternal City.