Readers react to a papal election on the big screen.

Pope Francis has called on all nations to eliminate the death penalty, to divert a fixed percentage of arms spending to a global fund to fight hunger and climate change, and to cancel the international debt of developing nations.

Catholic Extension Society’s 2024 Spirit of Francis Award was given to Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA.

“The idea of schadenfreude, taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others, is rejected by Jesus in the Gospels,” Daniel Daly said of those celebrating the murder of UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Brian Thompson.

As the fighting in Gaza drags on, Pope Francis welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican. The Vatican press office said the two spoke privately for 30 minutes.

Trump, who has pledged to carry out “the largest deportation program in American history,” plans to scrap the longstanding ICE policy preventing immigration arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations.

Many Syrians remain apprehensive about how religious minorities, including Christians, will be treated in a new political reality being established by a Sunni militia that is still listed as a terror organization by the U.S. State Department.

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, by Jill Rice

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church, by Sebastian Gomes

Bishop John Cummins had a significant and lasting impact on the Catholic Church in his own diocese and elsewhere through his quiet leadership and ministry. He was a reminder to many of what Pope Francis meant when he called for bishops who are “pastors, not princes.”