The Nativity scene that will sit under a 98-feet-tall silver fir tree in the middle of St. Peter’s Square this year will feature 19 life-sized figures carved in cedar by artisans in the northeastern Italian town of Sutrio.

Universities around the world are taking steps alongside major technology companies to explore ways to bolster ethics education in the artificial intelligence field in line with an initiative supported by the Vatican.

After telling a funny story about receiving a cellphone decades ago that was “as big as a shoe,” Pope Francis went on to encourage young priests and seminarians to use technology and social media, but to avoid pornography at all costs.

Pope Francis condemned an attack on a Congolese village that led to the deaths of seven people, including a nun, after gunman looted and burned homes and a local health center.

Feelings of desolation and sadness are not signs of trials that may discourage Christians, they can be indispensable signs that point to dangers along the path toward happiness, Pope Francis said.

Standing in front of an ancient symbol of violent battles, Pope Francis and religious leaders from around the world echoed “the cry for peace” of people suffering the impact of conflicts around the world, but especially in Ukraine.

The challenges and threats facing humanity and the planet can be confronted effectively if all people come together in “a spirit of solidarity,” said Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, in an appeal also supported by three Vatican dicasteries.

The importance of the family for the Catholic Church and for society means that theological reflection on family life and pastoral responses to the joys and problems of families must focus on more than the relationship between a husband and wife, Pope Francis said.

The international community must work for peace, and believers of all faiths must pray for it, but pressuring Ukraine to make peace with Russia would be to “consecrate the law of the strongest,” French President Emmanuel Macron told religious leaders meeting in Rome.

“Spiritual arrogance” — thinking one is holier or better than others — is a temptation everyone faces and is a form of self-worship, Pope Francis said.