Ukrainians had already experienced a “crisis of faith in the pope’s primacy,” Major Archbishop Shevchuk said, and that the pope’s latest statements were “deeply hurtful.”

Pope Francis has dismissed the former bishop of Bruges, Belgium, from the clerical state 14 years after Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation following his admission that he sexually abused his nephew.

In his cycle of catechesis on virtues, Pope Francis focused his general audience on prudence, stating that “In a world dominated by appearances, by superficial thoughts, by the triviality of both good and bad, the ancient lesson of prudence deserves to be revived.”

Pope Francis has not accepted an invitation to travel to Moscow in June to meet with Vladimir Putin, the director of the Holy See press office said.

Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera and Teresa Morris Kettelkamp will lead the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

In issuing “Laudato Si’,” nine years ago, Pope Francis made climate change a central issue in the church’s social teaching. Are we still paying attention?