About 30,000 Catholic men and women around the world are knights or dames of the Holy Sepulchre, pledging to support the church of Jerusalem with their prayers, regular pilgrimages and financial offerings.

Catholic bishops and diocesan tribunals are making steady progress in implementing Pope Francis' reforms to make the annulment process quicker, but it is taking longer to achieve the pope's goal of making the process less expensive for couples.

Pope Francis began a series of general audience talks Aug. 5 about the principles of Catholic social teaching that can help the world recover from the pandemic and move forward in a way that is better for human beings and for the environment.

Amidst a pandemic, migrants suffer even more, as evident in the experiences of those in a Greek island camp.

Gossip is “a plague worse than COVID,” Pope Francis said, asserting that while speaking ill of others comes almost naturally, it is a tool of the devil to divide the church.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on most foreign travel and many in-person meetings, Pope Francis still has some major events on his fall 2020 agenda.

Given the longevity of the pandemic, the church in Europe will have to deal with the urgency of keeping the faithful engaged in their faith, according to the archbishop of Luxembourg.

Before resuming their studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, seminarians from the United States had to undergo a 14-day quarantine, as mandated by Italian authorities.

The “common thread” among the celebrations, especially in 2020, the cardinal said, “is our common home in which the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one cry.”

While reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis urged people to pray for various intentions, including praying for those suffering from the pandemic.