Pope Francis received assurances from Jordan’s King Abdullah II that Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem will be protected amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Sudden peace negotiations or an intervention by the United States will not deliver Israelis and Palestinians from the suffering caused by the war in Gaza, a Jerusalem-based cardinal said.

The greatest enemy of faith is fear, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.

Seminarians and religious men and women need well-rounded formation throughout their lives, not only at the onset of their religious training, Pope Francis said.

The collaboration of laity and priests in the life of a parish and in outreach to the surrounding community “is not a strategy,” but the result of taking the sacraments of baptism and confirmation seriously rather than allowing it to remain “a beautiful principle, a virtuous and pious intention,” a Canadian theologian told hundreds of pastors.

Pope Francis urged the future pastors of “empty Spain,” the Spanish regions known for their historical richness but currently facing depopulation and economic challenges, to remember that “Jesus wants me in these empty lands to fill them with God.”

Pope Francis will celebrate the vigil of Pentecost in Verona, Italy, the setting for Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

A foundation that promotes devotion to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, more widely known as Padre Pio, is making 10 never-before-seen photographs of the saint available to the devout for free.

By sharing their own stories and those of their parishes, pastors from around the world can help each other see where God is present and, perhaps, discover new paths the Lord wants Catholics to embark on to share the Gospel with the world, said Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.

Meeting with thousands of Italian grandparents and their children and grandchildren, Pope Francis insisted repeatedly, “Love makes us better.”