Two popes who played instrumental roles in building the world’s largest church now gaze at one another with renewed clarity in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The temptation to cling to the past — to hold on to what was, including something sacred — can keep believers from truly embracing the hope offered by the risen Christ, said the preacher of the papal household.

Pope Francis’ surprise visit to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray and see ongoing restoration work is a clear sign that his condition is improving, the Vatican press office said.

Pope Francis prayed for the victims of a nightclub disaster in the Dominican Republic that claimed more than 200 lives and has provoked mourning across the Caribbean country.

Although they postponed their official state visit to the Vatican because of Pope Francis’ health, Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla met privately with the pope April 9, the Vatican press office said.

With fear “the driving force” in the current global climate, nations must recommit to nuclear disarmament and the regulation of artificial intelligence, said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations.

The Vatican bank and other Vatican offices with financial dealings are getting more adept at identifying and stopping suspicious financial activity, according to the Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority.

Brian Burch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, defended the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid at a Senate hearing April 8 on his nomination.

Jesus loves people as they are, not based on their merit or righteousness, said the text for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience.

As Ukraine experienced a deadly weekend with a barrage of attacks from Russia on Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv, the capital, the papal almoner handed a gift from Pope Francis — four ambulances — to local authorities in Zaporizhzhia.