Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory encouraged people to get the coronavirus vaccine and addressed the unrest of Jan. 6 that shook the nation.

Pope Francis told Uruguay's new ambassador to the Holy See that a future visit to the country as well as to his native Argentina is still very much on the table.

 “Covid knows no boundaries or immigration status; it is an indiscriminate killer.”

Both Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI have received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 after the Vatican started vaccinating its employees and residents Jan. 13.

The Vatican asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, including sprinkling ashes on the top of people's heads rather than making a cross on people's foreheads.

Fabrizio Soccorsi, Pope Francis’ personal doctor, died Jan. 9 of complications caused by Covid-19.