Vatican offices will remain open to ensure "essential services for the universal church," but each office is being asked to evaluate the best ways to provide those services while observing health precautions and guidelines on safe distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

As St. Ignatius insists—and Pope Francis displays—love is better shown in deeds than in words.

On “Inside the Vatican” this week, America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell details what it’s like living in Rome under the lockdown and how the Holy See and the pope are handling the crisis.

These changes correspond to Italian government restrictions on large public gatherings to limit transmission of coronavirus.

The Friday reflections in Lent, like in Advent, usually are led by the official "preacher of the papal household," who, for the past 40 years, has been Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa.

What became clear over these past seven years is Francis’ unrelenting commitment to creating opportunities for open and mutual encounters between him and others.