As Europe faces an unprecedented influx of immigrants and refugees, while struggling to counter continued economic woes, Pope Francis urged the continent to step up to its responsibilities with renewed hope, not cower behind walls and treaties.

Moral and ethical concerns must guide medical research so it will always be at the service of protecting human life and dignity, Pope Francis has said.

Happiness “is not an app that you can download on your phones, nor will the latest update help you become free and great in loving,” Pope Francis told thousands of teenagers.

When an aide suggested Pope Francis offer to fly some Syrian refugees back to Rome with him, the Pope said he agreed immediately because it was “an inspiration of the Holy Spirit”.

On the evening of 2 April, 2005, Wlodzimierz Redzioch, a Polish journalist who worked for more than 30 years for the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, was with the thousands praying in St Peter’s Square.

In an effort to highlight the dramatic situation of refugees left in limbo on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis and other Christian leaders will meet with the migrants on 16 April.

Easter is a feast of hope, a celebration of God’s mercy and a call to pray for and assist all who suffer, Pope Francis said before giving his solemn blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world).

Just as the crowds and government officials tried to dodge responsibility for Jesus’ fate after He was arrested, so, today, too, many individuals and countries want someone else to care for refugees fleeing violence and migrants seeking a better life, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Kolkata a saint at the Vatican on 4 September.

Paying homage to the suffering and martyrdom of Ukrainian Catholics who refused to give up their fidelity to the Pope despite harsh Soviet repression, Pope Francis also paid tribute to the Eastern Catholics’ efforts today to alleviate the suffering of those impacted by the war in Eastern Ukraine.