In a moving letter, Pope Francis expressed his closeness with the people of Nicaragua as Central American bishops called for a day of prayer for the country on the feast of the Immaculate Conception amid constitutional changes that will lead into an even darker dictatorship.

The mission of sharing the Gospel, entrusted to humanity by Jesus, must spread also through modern media channels, Pope Francis said.

Despite the problems and worries in the world, Jesus invites Christians to look toward heaven, trust in his saving love and make room for him in order to find hope again, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis praised a new ceasefire reached in Lebanon, prayed for Israeli hostages and Palestinians in Gaza, and appealed to world leaders to help put an end to the war in Ukraine.

Pope Francis is scheduled to create 21 new cardinals Dec. 7, giving the red hat to prelates ranging in age from 44 to 99 and representing 17 countries.

With the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis’ schedule of liturgies in December and January has expanded.

After meeting Pope Francis and top Vatican officials, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken praised the pope’s commitment to upholding the dignity of LGBTQ people.

Not every Christian is called to be an apostle, prophet or evangelist, Pope Francis said, but all Christians can cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit by becoming “charitable, patient, humble, peacemakers.”

The Catholic Church must respond to cultural challenges facing marriage and family life with unity and compassion, Pope Francis said, and he called for a deeper integration of the Gospel into contemporary culture.

“We don’t have another theologian, it seems to me, that has been as engaged with modernity as Benedict,” said Cyril O’Regan, a co-winner of the 2024 Ratzinger Prize, often dubbed the “Nobel Prize of Theology.”