People are saying the bridge is a serious idea, and it has at least captured the interest of leading politicians on both sides of the water.

Italy on Monday tightened criteria for migrants receiving humanitarian protection as its populist government deepened its crackdown on those seeking asylum.

The pope said he knows that young people “are upset by sexual and economic scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation.”

It was an important message for the 2.2 million people of Latvia, where today 37 percent of the population are Russian.

On his second day in Lithuania, Pope Francis traveled 65 miles to Kaunas, the country’s second largest city, to celebrate Mass in Santakos Park for more than 100,000 people.

Pope Francis arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to celebrate the centenary of the country’s independence.