The proclamation of the Gospel is not an optional or secondary part of the church’s life, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has continued his predecessors’ serious commitment to ecumenical dialogue, but he also makes ecumenical gestures that underline that seriousness.

Starting a family and having children has become a kind of herculean task when instead it should be valued and supported by everyone, Pope Francis said at a meeting in Rome on Italy’s severe decline in population growth.

Meeting with delegates to the general assembly of Caritas Internationalis May 11, the pope underscored the dual nature of the church’s charitable arm as a service of charity and a Catholic institution dedicated to pastoral care.

Eliminating the root causes of forced migration means ensuring everyone has an equal share in the common good, their fundamental rights are respected and their lives can flourish through integral human development, Pope Francis said.

Monthly adoration has become a new normal for pilgrims visiting St. Peter’s Square. For Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, who led a monthly Vatican outdoor Holy Hour May 9, adoration is a crucial hour of any day.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, was at the Vatican to mark the 50th anniversary of a joint declaration signed by St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III in 1973 outlining the beliefs shared by their churches.

Christians have no need to be afraid or hopeless because Jesus always tells the faithful where they are going and how to get there, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis asked 23 new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard to draw close to the sacraments, read Scripture and meditate on spiritual texts, including during calm shifts on guard.

Catholic universities must be outward looking and prepare their students to engage with the world’s problems rather than teaching rigid ideas, Pope Francis said.