“They awaited St. John Paul II, who was not permitted to go. One cannot disappoint a people for the second time,” Pope Francis said ahead of his apostolic visit to Iraq, March 5 to March 8.

What is driving Pope Francis to enter a war zone, during a global pandemic?

Pope Francis' remarks from his general audience on Wednesday, March 3.

Pope Francis is making history with his trip to Iraq. Follow along.

Pope Francis, by visiting a Shia majority country, completes his pastoral embrace of the Islamic world, begun two years ago with his trip to Abu Dhabi when he met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb.

Recent statements from the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the U.S. bishops’ conference say Catholics should not take the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine if other options are available. But some Catholic ethicists and theologians say such messages are unhelpful in the face of this ongoing crisis.

He was a priest who argued that the Catholic Church was fundamentally racist, all the while remaining a faithful member of it.

“As with every administration, there will be areas where we agree and work closely together and areas where we will have principled disagreement and strong opposition,” Archbishop Gomez said.

The archdiocese insists the decision is informed by guidance from the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, although those institutions have not yet issued statements discouraging use of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A Polish court on Tuesday acquitted three activists who had been accused of desecration and offending religious feelings for producing and distributing images of a revered Roman Catholic icon altered to include the LGBT rainbow.