In his General Audience address on Aug. 28 centered on the plight of migrants, Pope Francis said, “The Lord is with our migrants...not with those who repel them.“

In her keynote address at the Eucharistic Congress, Gloria Purvis warned that disloyalty to Pope Francis, the sin of racism and putting political parties above God threaten the unity of the Catholic Church.

In his general audience, Pope Francis marked the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by reflecting on the responsibility of Christians to pray for those who traffic illegal drugs and to aid those afflicted with drug addiction.

“Can we laugh at God?’ Pope Francis asked a group of comedians invited for an audience at the Vatican. “Of course, we can, just as we play and joke with the people we love.“

In his general audience, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to keep reading to Bible, which reveals God’s love. He also directed a message to preachers to keep homilies to no more than eight minutes.

In his general audience, Pope Francis reflected on the Holy Spirit’s name, “Ruach,” meaning breath or wind. And wind, he said, “is the only thing that absolutely cannot be bridled, cannot be bottled up or put in a box.”