With hopes growing for a temporary, humanitarian cease-fire, Pope Francis met at the Vatican Nov. 22 with relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas and, separately, with relatives of Palestinians suffering under the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Pope Francis appealed for perseverance in praying for peace, especially in the Holy Land where the conflict is no longer “warfare,” but has become “terrorism.”

A person hearing God’s call to follow him does not mean that person then belongs to a special or privileged clique of the perfect or the “elected,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has talked on the phone to Javier Milei, who won Argentina’s presidential run. The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed Nov. 21 that the pontiff had spoken by phone with Milei.

Pope Francis expressed his concern about concrete initiatives individual dioceses and the Catholic Church in Germany as a whole are taking, including the establishment of a synodal council, which, he said, threaten to steer it away from the universal church.

The Catholic Church and all its members must end silence about clerical sexual abuse and ensure cases are no longer covered up, Pope Francis said, adding it is “non-negotiable.”

The material, cultural and spiritual poverties that exist in the world are a “scandal” that Christians are called to address by putting their God-given capacity for charity and love into action, Pope Francis said.

As part of a plan to reduce its CO2 footprint, Vatican City State has launched a program to replace its existing vehicle fleet with electric vehicles.

Pope Francis will celebrate the World Day of the Poor for the seventh time on Nov. 19. The 2023 World Day of the Poor will be traditionally hosted by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

Meeting Pato and a group of 25 people from Mediterranea Saving Humans, an organization that networks to operate rescue boats and assist newcomers to Italy, Pope Francis said he had read Pato’s story in the Italian Catholic newspaper, Avvenire, in July and had seen the photo.