The Catholic Church’s synodal path, the church-wide listening and dialogue process currently approaching its second assembly in October, must become a model for all Catholic dioceses and parishes, Pope Francis said.

In the latest comment from the Vatican on “Fiducia Supplicans,” the controversial declaration issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2023 that includes guidelines on the blessing of same-sex couples, Pope Francis clarified that he didn’t allow blessings of “the union” but of “each person.”

Take advantage of conflicts since they require people to come together and cooperate, Pope Francis told a delegation from Loyola University Chicago.

Empowered and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, Christians are called to develop the gentleness needed to proclaim the Gospel to all, Pope Francis said.

The Vatican is expecting some 70,000 children between the ages of 5 and 12 and their chaperones to fill Rome’s Olympic Stadium for the opening events of the first World Children’s Day May 25 and to join Pope Francis for Mass in St. Peter’s Square the next morning.

The Vatican has published new norms for the church to discern alleged supernatural phenomena, such as Marian apparitions and mystical visions, which streamline the discernment process for bishops, allow the Vatican to avoid making definitive judgments on the authenticity of the events and reaffirm that Catholics are not obliged to believe in the purported phenomena.

Pope Francis, who was ordained to the priesthood 54 years ago, encouraged senior priests in the Diocese of Rome to be “witnesses of memory,” sharing their faith and experiences with younger clergy and not being afraid to argue with them from time to time.

Faith leaders must collaborate with public and private partners to set an example on combating climate change for the communities they serve, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said while standing in the Vatican Gardens.

While it is easy for people to love what is good and beautiful or to be generous and heroic for an ideal, Pope Francis said Christian love embraces what is not lovable, it offers forgiveness and blesses one’s enemies.

“Dying is part of the process of living and should not take place in a pre-cemetery,” said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.