On April 2, 2005, the world mourned the passing of St. John Paul II. At 9:37 p.m., his earthly journey ended, but in his homeland of Poland, a powerful spiritual community began to form.

Idaho lawmakers recently approved legislation that will require public schools to teach fetal development and show ultrasound video to students in grades five to 12.

Even when a person seems totally lost and unable to find a way back to God, the Lord is already looking for him or her, said the text for Pope Francis’ weekly general audience.

As the death toll following the massive earthquake in Myanmar is expected to reach 3,000, humanitarian organizations in the region, like Catholic Relief Services, are working round the clock to get essential supplies to those in need.

Technology should be used to improve people’s lives and to connect people as members of one human family, Pope Francis said.

The University of Notre Dame Law School hosted a four-day event to promote the abolition of the death penalty. Its March 24-27 Death Penalty Abolition Week brought to campus nationally known and respected opponents of the death penalty.

Pope Francis appealed to South Sudan leaders to “lower the tension in the country” as Catholic bishops in Sudan and South Sudan expressed alarm at the escalating violence in the world’s youngest nation and warned of a catastrophe if full-scale war returns.

As the 20th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s death approached April 2, top world leaders and thinkers gathered in Poznan, Poland, to discuss his legacy.

Pope Francis’ condition remains stable, and an X-ray showed there has been a slight improvement regarding his lingering lung infection, the Vatican press office said.

Christian joy is for everyone, not just for a privileged few, Pope Francis wrote.