Pope Francis and his efforts to promote interreligious harmony featured prominently in United Nations discussions focusing on what could be done about rising hatred, discrimination and violence against Muslims.

Before praying the Angelus with some 25,000 visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square March 19, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John in which Jesus gives sight to a blind man on the Sabbath.

Safe, organized, legal and sustainable migration is in the interest of all countries, Pope Francis wrote.

Meeting participants at the Vatican March 18, Pope Francis told them to “wage war, but another kind of war, an inner one, a war on ourselves to work for peace.”

The faithful must set aside their egos and sense of superiority over others to make room for God and his tender mercy, Pope Francis said at a Lenten penance service.

The secret to lovingly ministering to others is first allowing oneself to experience the overwhelming love of God, Pope Francis told priests belonging to the Josephites of Murialdo, the Murialdine Sisters of St. Joseph and the laypeople who work with them.

At the end of their first meeting, three members of the preparatory commission for the assembly of the Synod of Bishops said they know some Catholics have very high expectations for the process while others have intense anxiety.

Planning an ecumenical prayer vigil for the Catholic Church’s Synod of Bishops and making a commitment to participating in it is an expression of “an ecumenism of solidarity,” said the Rev. Anne-Laure Danet, ecumenical officer for the French Protestant Federation.

The aesthetic and artistic elements surrounding the liturgy must foster prayer and a sense of communion, Pope Francis said.

Being an apostle does not mean climbing up the church’s hierarchy to look down on others but humbling oneself in a spirit of service, Pope Francis said.