Pope Francis sought to clarify the declaration on blessings of couples in “irregular situations” in his address today to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Francis deplored “the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood” and called on the international community “to prohibit this practice universally.”

“The basic conflict is not between Israel and Hamas. The conflict is between Jewish Israeli nationalism and Palestinian nationalism,” David Neuhaus, S.J., says in this exclusive interview.

“We will all have to become accustomed to accepting the fact that if a priest gives this type of simple blessing, he is not a heretic,” a new press release from the Vatican’s doctrine office states.

Although Francis is now 87 years old and one of the oldest popes in history to lead the Catholic Church, a glance at his agenda for 2024 reveals that he has no intention of slowing down.

Pope Francis opened the new year by highlighting in his homily for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and his Angelus message the same day, the central role women have played in salvation history and that they still have for bringing peace to the world.