A Reflection for Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, by Colleen Dulle

In his general audience, Pope Francis praises the apostolic zeal of St. Therese of Lisieux, who, although patroness of missions, was never sent on one herself, yet whose heart drew people closer to God.

"The surgery on the pope has finished,” the Vatican press office said in a statement on the evening of June 7. “It was done without complications, and lasted three hours.”

”I told him that women from the Amazon and North America are making this path of discernment for the ministry of women in the church and [about] the need to advance in recognizing the diaconal service that we provide to the church.”

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, by Joe Hoover, S.J.

Because his check-up was on Tuesday, a day on which he normally does not have any audiences in the Vatican, it seems reasonable to say the visit was scheduled in advance.