Pope Francis encouraged religious sisters and consecrated women to continue to show courage amid difficulties, even if it means pushing back against the church they serve faithfully.

Taxation “must favor the redistribution of wealth, looking out for the dignity of the poorest who risk always ending up crushed by the powerful,” the pope said in a meeting with members of Italy’s tax collection agency.

A report released last week alleges that former Pope Benedict XVI allowed four abusive priests in Munich to remain in ministry. This episode is an opportunity to understand the church’s fitful evolution on dealing with abuse.

Jason Rivera was fatally wounded Jan. 21 by a gunman who ambushed them in a hallway as they responded to a family dispute.

“We can hardly fail to see that these days, in addition to the pandemic, an ‘infodemic’ is spreading: a distortion of reality based on fear,” Pope Francis said Friday.

“I am not clinging to my office,” Cardinal Marx said on Thursday. “The offer to resign last year was meant very seriously. Pope Francis decided otherwise and asked me to continue my ministry responsibly.”