“I am close to you, and I pray for you,” Pope Francis told the Turkish people reeling from earthquakes that killed nearly 42,000 people in Turkey and neighboring Syria, according to figures updated Feb. 16.

Pope Francis told Jesuits working in Congo that he had taken seriously the promise he and all Jesuits make to not seek offices of authority and power in the church and, in fact, he twice declined becoming a bishop.

Pope Francis sent 10,000 thermal shirts to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, where millions are sleeping outdoors in below-freezing temperatures.

To help local parishes, schools, other groups and individuals reflect on the practical and concrete action they can take to help tackle environmental challenges, the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Stockholm Environment Institute have released a guidebook.

At his general audience Feb. 15, the pope continued his series of catechesis on evangelization and apostolic zeal.

Laypeople have roles to play in the life of a parish, but priests, bishops and cardinals also need to recognize the way Catholic laity are bringing the Gospel to the world through their jobs, their family life, their volunteering and their social engagement.

Knowledge and “enlightenment” are needed especially where there is the “darkness of hatred,” which often stems from forgetting and indifference, Pope Francis said.

Religious rules are good and necessary, but Jesus wants his disciples to go beyond the letter of the law and fully live out its meaning, Pope Francis said.

The smiles, curiosity and boldness of several children with rare diseases who did not know about protocol at papal audiences and simply went up to Pope Francis and reached out for rosaries gave the grownups present a lesson, the pope said.

Just days after Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Pope Francis expressed concern over his condition.