Pope Francis has called for a global prayer marathon for the entire month of May, praying for the end to the pandemic.

Besides Bishop McElroy, there are four other Americans on the board, including Mary Haddad, R.S.M., the president and C.E.O. of the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

When political life turns its back on the poor, it “will never be able to promote the common good,” Pope Francis said.

On this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walks listeners through the story of how the pope and the grand imam rebuilt the once-icy relationship between the Vatican and the top Sunni institute, Al-Azhar University.

If prayer ceases, the Church has become like an empty shell that it has lost its bearings.

A new book takes readers behind the scenes of the unlikely friendship between the leader of the Catholic Church and the head of the most prestigious and influential Islamic institute in the world.