Pope Francis went to Rome’s Gemelli hospital March 29 for “some previously planned tests,” the Vatican press office said, providing no further details.

Pope Francis has updated the procedures for investigating allegations of sexual abuse, expanding the rules of “Vos Estis” to include Catholic lay leaders, who have the same responsibilities over members as a bishop over priests.

With a “firm intention to proceed with measures to ensure that situations similar to those reported will not occur again,” Father Verschueren said the Jesuits will begin an internal process that “may result in disciplinary action.”

With the first anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine just days away, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church spoke about gratitude and powerlessness in the face of a “blind, absurd, sacrilegious war.”

Cardinal O’Malley thanked the commission members and the Portuguese bishops who launched the study, but mostly the victims and survivors who came forward, many telling their stories for the first time.

An Italian publisher has published the late Pope Benedict's book of essays, which he requested be published only after his death, including one on priesthood.

Pope Benedict XVI was a renowned theologian, a “recognized authority,” who left “a rich legacy of studies and research on the fundamental truths of the faith,” said the official summary of his life and papacy.

“Benedict XVI did theology on his knees,” the pope wrote in the book’s introduction. “His explanation of the faith was carried out with the devotion of a man who has surrendered all of himself to God.”

The pope’s letter, titled "Totum Amoris Est" ("Everything Pertains to Love"), said that the saint has much to teach the church today.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s message inviting people to pay less attention to presents and more to prayer,.