Pope Francis sits in reverence before the Chair of St. Peter, temporarily placed in front of the main altar in St Peter’s Basilica after the closing Mass of the Synod of Bishops on synodality at the Vatican on 27 October, 2024. Photo: CNS/Vatican Media. By Justin McLellan Pope Francis has last week approved the next phase of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, launching a three-year impl...

“From the beginning of his pontificate, we have heard Pope Francis ask us to not forget to pray for him, and that is what we are doing,” said Cardinal José Tolenti-no de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, as he led thousands of people praying the rosary for the pope March 10 in St. Peter’s Square.

In his 2025 message for Lent, Pope Francis emphasised the continuous call to conversion—turning back to God and embracing a life that reflects our faith’s ideals.

For those who recognise Christ as the saviour, death is not an end or a form of “annihilation,” Pope Francis wrote in his general audience catechesis. It is a kind of “sister” that introduces the faithful departed to true life.

Father Peter Murphy studied agriculture and worked as a field agronomist in Melbourne before entering the seminary.

A CT scan on Monday 18 February “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumo-nia, which required additional drug therapy,” according to the previous evening’s medical bulletin.

In his prepared text, Pope Francis focused on the birth of Jesus, the messianic king, in a humble stable.

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.

During the Mass, Pope Francis installed 40 lay men and women to the ministry of lector, a ministry he formally opened to women in 2021.

The true power of communications, Pope Francis said, lies in building connec-tions and crafting “narratives of our hope,” rather than focusing on “self-promotion” or “the celebration of our own initiatives.”