The journey of reconciliation between Catholics and Orthodox began with an embrace almost 60 years ago, a sign of how important personal contact and time spent together are in the search for Christian unity, Pope Francis said.

All the Catholic Church’s structures, including tribunals and faculties of canon law, must undergo a “pastoral and missionary conversion” to ensure the church is giving the world “the only thing it needs: the Gospel of the mercy of Jesus,” Pope Francis wrote.

Some 3,000 charismatic Catholics living in the Persian Gulf gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for praise and worship and to reflect on God’s call to “be holy, for I am holy.”

The only way to carry out the new evangelization called for by Pope Francis is to adopt the pastoral style of a compassionate, humble, patient and simple priest who walks at the same pace as his people, Cardinal Pietro Parolin told seminarians.

Pope Francis offered condolences to the parents of Indi Gregory and to the mourners at the funeral of “this precious child of God.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will deliver Pope Francis’ speech to the U.N. climate conference, COP28, and will help inaugurate a faith pavilion after the pope canceled his trip due to health concerns.

Although he had an aide read his prepared talk to the people who had organized World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis had a few memories and questions he wanted to share himself.

Embracing poverty and modeling a fraternity that accepts everyone as a brother or sister, members of Franciscan orders are called to go out into the world and witness how the Gospel truly is good news for everyone and for the planet, Pope Francis said.

At the brief meeting with participants in a seminar on the ethics of health care management, the pope said he was suffering from a “bronchial condition. Thank God it was not pneumonia,” but he said it was a very serious bronchial infection.

Asking pardon for speaking plainly, Pope Francis told members of the International Theological Commission that “one of the great sins we have had is ‘masculinizing’ the church,” which also can be seen by the fact that only five of the commission members are women.