Christians and Buddhists must be willing to work together to “bring a ray of hope to a desperate humanity,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis “never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term, reported by others,” that is considered vulgar in Italian, the Vatican press office said.

Living out the missionary dimension of the faith never means trying to forcefully convert people to Catholicism, Pope Francis said.

Entrusting to God’s mercy all of their comrades-in-arms who have died serving their countries and defending peace, Pope Francis urged Catholic members of the military to let their faith inform their service.

Always pray, and pray especially for an end to all wars, Pope Francis told children during Mass concluding the first World Children’s Day.

Speaking at a conference on human flourishing and technology in the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences May 23, Ruan said that determining AGI’s purpose and service to humanity is “a broader conversation that we have never really had at a global level.”

True education is accompanying young people to discover and build the common good through academic rigor and serving others, Pope Francis said.

Catholics fighting against human trafficking must work together in order to be truly effective against this “odious” crime, Pope Francis told an international network of religious working against human trafficking.

In addition to clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, Pope Francis signed decrees in seven other sainthood causes, including that of Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries, who also is now ready to be declared a saint.

Pope Francis formally recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager whose birth in 1991 will make him the first “millennial” to become a saint.