Pope Francis also appealed for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of the hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million Palestinians living there.

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore from Sept. 2 to 13.

In a recent interview book, Pope Francis said Archbishop Gänswein “at times made difficulties for me.” Now the former private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI will be made a nuncio in an as-yet-unnamed country.

The declaration from the Vatican goes beyond the focus on single issues and throws a spotlight on the much broader field of violations of human dignity.

The Major Penitentiary is sometimes referred to as chief confessor of the Catholic Church because he has broad faculties that are reserved to the Holy See to grant pardon and forgiveness for sins for which an ordinary priest or bishop cannot grant absolution.

Pope Francis appealed for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza after the killing of seven aid workers and the bombing of the Iranian consulate, warning against the war’s escalation.

It appears Pope Francis did not want the story of his relationship with Benedict XVI to be told by others, least of all by Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

The pope called for specific, concrete, immediate steps that political leaders could take to end the wars and bring peace to the Holy Land and to Ukraine.

Does the Holy See think Israel is conducting a genocide in Gaza? Did Pope Francis call on Ukraine to surrender? Gerard O’Connell asks these questions and more in an exclusive interview with Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Though Pope Francis skipped over his prepared homily at today’s Palm Sunday Mass, he used the opening of Holy Week to condemn terrorism and war in Moscow, Ukraine and Gaza.