Like Saint Francis, the pope said, “each of us is called to follow in his footsteps by becoming a peacemaker, an ‘artisan’ of peace.”

For celibate priests, there are three specific and essential elements of formation for sustaining their commitment: They need a meaningful reason for celibacy, they need skills for celibate living, and they need a supportive community.

Even as pope, Francis considers himself a parish priest—“the world’s parish priest” as he once told a friend. This morning, he presided in a small Catholic enclave more than 100 miles from Sofia, the capital city.

The meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Neofit was only the second meeting in more than a thousand years between a pope and a Bulgarian Orthodox patriarch.

“God Bless Bulgaria," Pope Francis prayed, and "keep her in peace and ever hospitable, and grant her prosperity and happiness.”

The church, in its wisdom, gives us a whole liturgical season to celebrate Easter.