The Rev. Nikolaus Schneider would not guess what impact the election of Pope Francis would have on the search for Christian unity, but the head of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany said his meeting with the new pope left him hopeful.

Celebrating his first Mass in the cathedral of Rome, Pope Francis called on Christians to trust in God’s endless patience and mercy.

Pope Francis reaffirmed the importance of responding decisively to the problem of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy and called on the Vatican office dealing with suspected cases to continue carrying out its mandate.

Rafaela Gonzalez spent the wee hours of March 19 watching the installation of the first Argentine pope on the big screens outside the city’s cathedral. She spoke with admiration about Pope Francis, with disdain for the country’s political picture and with concern for the church in a country with an overwhelmingly Catholic population, but a flock moving further from parishes, priests and church practices.

Since his first public remarks on the night of his election March 13, Pope Francis has impressed many observers with a marked preference for describing himself not as the pope but as the bishop of Rome — a role he was scheduled to assume in a special way April 7 by celebrating his first Mass in the city’s cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

An April 5 decision by a New York federal judge to lift age limits on purchases of over-the-counter emergency contraceptives should be “appealed and overturned,” according to an official of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.

Members of the order hope that “the good example and holiness of Pope Francis will inspire young men to consider the Society of Jesus as a way to serve Christ and his church,” Father Paulson said.

When hundreds of thousands of young Catholics gather with Pope Francis in Rio de Janeiro in the summer, reflections on safeguarding the environment will be part of the program.

“They are little known in the Arab and Muslim world and even less so in the Christian West. Bringing such Muslim texts to a wider audience is not only Father Scattolin’s passion, but his duty as a Christian”, says Comboni Father Giuseppe Scattolin.

Complaining frequently and stewing over disappointments can easily become an obsession that blocks one’s view of Jesus’ presence in difficult situations, Pope Francis said.