Spanish bishops marked International Day for Life March 25 by demanding a better environment for “stable families,” as pro-life campaigners rallied in Madrid against promoting abortion in the traditionally Catholic country.

Those who work to keep children and vulnerable adults safe are serving and honoring Christ, Pope Francis said in a written message.

Masses were celebrated around the country March 23 as Catholics prayed for the victims of the attack, which claimed eight lives and left five injured, in the city of Salamanca in western Guanajuato state March 16.

The canonical trial against Slovenian Father Marko Rupnik — a prominent artist and former Jesuit accused of spiritually and sexually abusing women for decades — is being prepared, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief said.

Even though its focus was mainly scientific, a Vatican-sponsored conference on aging and longevity could not ignore the ongoing convalescence of 88-year-old Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ love for poetry is not just a personal interest but a key to understanding his vision of faith and humanity, said speakers at the presentation of a new book collecting the pope’s reflections on poetry and literature.

The same day Pope Francis was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital after a five-week stay for treatment for double pneumonia, a group of Vatican doctors took their Lenten alms initiative a step further and helped provide medical care to a group of migrants.

In his last written message from Rome’s Gemelli hospital before returning to the Vatican, Pope Francis greeted bishops and the faithful from the Archdiocese of Naples on their Holy Year pilgrimage.

Farms are in every state in the country, producing fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and raising animals for consumption. It all makes its way to the nation’s dinner tables.

Immediately before leaving Rome’s Gemelli hospital after more than five weeks of treatment for breathing difficulties, double pneumonia and infections, Pope Francis greeted hundreds of people who gathered outside the hospital March 23.