Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic shooting in a Swedish school, sending “assurance of his spiritual closeness to all affected by this traumatic incident,” in which 10 students of an adult education center lost their lives.

The National Catholic Educational Association, which represents some 140,000 educators serving 1.6 million students, announced the recipients of its President’s Awards and its Lifetime Commitment to Catholic Education Award.

Christians are called to follow Mary’s example by responding to God’s love with action, reaching out to others instead of withdrawing from the world, Pope Francis said.

An international online database of clergy who face allegations or have been convicted of child sexual abuse launched its Philippine listing Jan. 29, drawing a sharp response from the Philippine bishops’ conference, which reiterated the need for efforts to hold the church accountable for abuse.

s Russia sent a barrage of rockets to Ukraine over the weekend of Feb. 1-2, a bishop living in an eastern Ukraine diocese on the front lines of war said such events make hope “rather waning” for his people.

The church must welcome young people and embrace their desires and doubts to bring them closer to Jesus and ultimately open them up to receiving God’s call, Pope Francis said.

Governments have a serious responsibility to care for their nation’s children, but no caring person can stand by idly when children anywhere are starving, said the founder of a private charity working in 16 of the world’s poorest countries.

With a new U.S. presidential administration and Congress in office, questions are percolating about federal budget priorities and tax policies — and the related decisions that will either help or hurt the most vulnerable citizens.

An official of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said Pope Francis’ decision to suppress Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was based on the fact that there was no authentic charism, or spiritual gifts, in the controversial lay movement founded by Luis Fernando Figari in 1971.

There is no greater work that Christians can perform than “transmitting the saving message of the Gospel to others,” Pope Francis said, especially among those on the margins of society.