“To be a Christian is not only to receive the faith, to confess the faith, but to safeguard life, one’s own life, the life of others, the life of the Church,” Pope Francis said in his Wednesday audience.

“Life is a right, not death, which must be welcomed, not administered,” Pope Francis said during his weekly audience. “And this ethical principle applies to, concerns everyone, not just Christians or believers.”

Not every word or phrase that pops into your head while you are praying is coming from God. But occasionally, we are free enough that God enters our consciousness with words or phrases that startle in their immediacy.

Is the church really interested in listening and learning from former Catholics? Or is it only “listening” to get them to come back to Catholicism?

In his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis spoke about the communion of saints, which he said does not include just those who are perfect, but also “the community of saved sinners.”

The pandemic is a terrible reality, but it is not hopeless. James Martin, S.J., offers a few tips drawn from Christian spirituality that have helped him avoid despair.