The pope’s message on the meaning of the cross resonated with the Greek Catholic community, whose members suffered harsh persecution and were prohibited to exist under Czechoslovakia’s Communist rule from 1948 to 1989.

A complete rebuild and expansion of the living quarters for the Swiss Guard will not only improve life for guards and their families, it will also allow for the future possibility of recruiting women.

It will be a demanding trip health-wise for the 84-year-old pontiff coming just two months after his colon operation on July 4.

The 9/11 attack not only changed world history but also impacted the future of the Catholic Church.

“Pope Francis invites the entire church to reflect on a theme that is decisive for its life and mission: ‘It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the church of the third millennium,’” the document says.

“I don’t know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign.... It didn’t even cross my mind,” Pope Francis said in the first interview since his July 4 operation.