In a speech read by an aide, Pope Francis told a group of grieving parents that the best response to grief is “to imitate the emotion and compassion of Jesus in the face of pain.”

A letter criticizing Pope Francis for promoting “ambiguities in matters of faith” and at the same time ruling the Catholic Church with an iron fist, is circulating in the Vatican.

The gifts of men and women are “fruitful” together, and to erase the difference between men and women “is to erase humanity,” Pope Francis said.

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, scheduled for July, promises a transformative experience for tens of thousands of attendees through liturgies, speakers, and faith-sharing opportunities.

Ivan Cantu was executed Feb. 28 by the state of Texas despite claims that his conviction was based on false testimony.

Pope Francis went from the audience to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a checkup before returning to the Vatican. In November when he was suffering similar symptoms, he had gone to that hospital for a CT scan of his lungs.