Marking 80 years since some 4,400 Allied troops “heroically gave their lives” to the cause of freedom by storming the beach in Normandy, D-Day commemorations remind the world that disrupting peace in pursuit of worldly interests is a grave sin, Pope Francis said.

Jennifer Torres began her pilgrimage on the northern Marian Route, which began May 17 in Bemidji, Minn., at the Star of the North Conference and will end in Indianapolis at the National Eucharistic Congress.

Christians can be peacemakers when they commit, with courage and humility, to strengthening relationships and to alleviating tensions between people, Pope Francis said.

Although Pope Francis usually takes the month of July off — except for leading the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays — he will hold a consistory with cardinals in Rome July 1 for the final approval of the canonization of several sainthood candidates, according to the master of papal liturgical ceremonies.

It was an emotional welcome when 48 veterans from around the U.S. arrived at the Deauville-Normandy Airport June 4 on board a special flight from Atlanta to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.

Pope Francis reportedly told a young gay man to “keep going” with his vocational search after he told the pope he felt called to the priesthood but was turned away by an Italian seminary because he told them he was gay.

Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.”

President Joe Biden June 4 signed an executive order aimed at reducing unauthorized border crossings by asylum-seekers. The move was expected and comes as Biden faces increasing political pressure on the issue of migration in the midst of his reelection bid.

The Senate June 4 held a hearing on the impact of post-Dobbs abortion restrictions, with lawmakers alternately criticizing or defending them with respect to women’s health care concerns.

The Pronatalism Initiative will pioneer new research as it seeks to formulate policy recommendations “to counteract global fertility decline.”