In the letter, Pope Francis “speaks as a shepherd, as a brother” and “expressed once again his complete trust, his full support and also his prayers,” said the secretary, Archbishop Georg Gänswein.

With rising tensions in the region and the threat of a possible Russian-Ukrainian conflict spreading, Pope Francis established Jan. 26 as a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine.

In an interview with the Vatican’s media outlets, the pope focused on the theme of “paternity” and how St. Joseph is an important example for fathers, the church and families.

While the pope’s collection is mostly made up of classical music, it also includes a 25-disc collection of Elvis Presley’s Gospel songs.

Pope Francis took an evening ride in a white Fiat 500 to visit a record store he used to go to when in Rome as a cardinal.

The Vatican has reaffirmed its support of Covid-19 vaccines with both the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life and a Holy See communique reiterating Pope Francis’ insistence that getting inoculated is “an act of love.”

With Advent coming during an ongoing pandemic, Christians are called to hold on to hope and foster a season of compassion and tenderness, Pope Francis said.

The tombstones of soldiers killed in war cry out to people today to end all wars and to stop the production of weapons, Pope Francis said.

An adult survivor of abuse by a priest appealed to the world’s seminarians to become good priests and to make sure the “bitter truth” always prevails, not silence about scandals and their cover-up.

The Catholic Church’s inability to make victims of abuse their top concern is a cause for intense shame, Pope Francis said.