Pope Francis led his “School of Prayer” outside on a concrete driveway leading to a series of parking garages under a 30-family condominium on the outskirts of Rome.

Marking 80 years since some 4,400 Allied troops “heroically gave their lives” to the cause of freedom by storming the beach in Normandy, D-Day commemorations remind the world that disrupting peace in pursuit of worldly interests is a grave sin, Pope Francis said.

Although Pope Francis usually takes the month of July off — except for leading the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays — he will hold a consistory with cardinals in Rome July 1 for the final approval of the canonization of several sainthood candidates, according to the master of papal liturgical ceremonies.

Christians can be peacemakers when they commit, with courage and humility, to strengthening relationships and to alleviating tensions between people, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis reportedly told a young gay man to “keep going” with his vocational search after he told the pope he felt called to the priesthood but was turned away by an Italian seminary because he told them he was gay.

Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.”

Jesus considers all the baptized to be his friends and will always try to restore them to life and health as he did with his friend Lazarus in the Gospel, Pope Francis wrote.

Catholics will not positively influence fiscal policy unless they also develop an intricate knowledge of the financial system’s weaknesses and flaws, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis began a meeting with participants in a Focolare-sponsored conference by telling the movement’s president, “I pray for your homeland; I pray so much for your homeland, which is suffering at this time.”

Workers need spaces in which they can come together, form a sense of community and advocate for the marginalized, Pope Francis said.