Washington, Colorado and Oregon are now among the U.S. states that have legalized the process of converting human bodies into soil, a procedure the Catholic Church said fails to show “respect for the body of the deceased.”

Pope Francis “is continuing his planned treatment and rehabilitation, which will allow him to return to the Vatican as soon as possible.”

Given all the challenges facing the Catholic Church in our country, we are far overdue for a moment in which the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of our country can discern together how to be the people of God in our time and place.

One way through grief is service. And as many of us know, from the tips of our fingers through the depths of our hearts to the bottom of our wallets, there are many ways to serve.

Pope Francis continues to make progress after his operation but will remain in hospital for to “optimize in the best way possible the medical and rehabilitation therapy.”

The pope looked well and spoke strongly one week after surgery, reports Gerard O’Connell. In addition to thanking people for their prayers, he called for universal health care and condemned violence in Haiti.