Feelings of desolation and sadness are not signs of trials that may discourage Christians, they can be indispensable signs that point to dangers along the path toward happiness, Pope Francis said.

Four new awardees were named this year as recipients of People of Life Awards, chosen by the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities for lifetime contributions to the pro-life cause.

Standing in front of an ancient symbol of violent battles, Pope Francis and religious leaders from around the world echoed “the cry for peace” of people suffering the impact of conflicts around the world, but especially in Ukraine.

The challenges and threats facing humanity and the planet can be confronted effectively if all people come together in “a spirit of solidarity,” said Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, in an appeal also supported by three Vatican dicasteries.

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, asked for prayers after three people died following an Oct. 24 shooting at a high school in St. Louis.

The importance of the family for the Catholic Church and for society means that theological reflection on family life and pastoral responses to the joys and problems of families must focus on more than the relationship between a husband and wife, Pope Francis said.

Ten months after a marble statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the Rosary Walk and Garden outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was vandalized and destroyed beyond repair, a replacement statue was blessed Oct. 23 by Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory.

The international community must work for peace, and believers of all faiths must pray for it, but pressuring Ukraine to make peace with Russia would be to “consecrate the law of the strongest,” French President Emmanuel Macron told religious leaders meeting in Rome.

“Spiritual arrogance” — thinking one is holier or better than others — is a temptation everyone faces and is a form of self-worship, Pope Francis said.

Bishop Mario Dorsonville — like previous chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration — has been a constant voice on church teaching that calls on Catholics to welcome the stranger in an age when Catholic politicians are some of the most visible voices against that teaching.