Radio listeners in the United Kingdom started the day with an unexpected voice this morning when they were greeted by Pope Francis in an exclusive message for the BBC.

When Pope Francis welcomes U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to the Vatican tomorrow, it will mark the 31st meeting between a sitting pope and a sitting U.S. president.

President Joe Biden and Pope Francis are expected to focus on the pandemic, migration, crises in the Middle East and climate change.

At one point Ronald Reagan needed a powerful ally who could help him hold on to Catholic voters — and he found that ally in John Paul II. Today, Joe Biden faces a similar situation.

Speakers from several academic disciplines highlighted the need for the international community, governments, civil society and religious communities to address the myriad of issues surrounding machine learning.

The number of Catholics in the world grew by more than 15 million from 2018 to 2019. But in Europe, the number of Catholic faithful decreased by almost 300,000.