The pope will visit Kinshasa and Goma, Congo and Juba, South Sudan, joining Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

“The rhythms of old age are an indispensable resource for grasping the meaning of life marked by time,” Pope Francis said in his general audience, and so spending time with our elders is not just a “waste of time.”

Condemning violence and expressing his concern for and solidarity with Ukraine, Pope Francis has not uttered the word “Russia” publicly.

Mothers are already entitled to six months’ maternity leave at full pay, which they can extend by another six months at half-pay. Parents who adopt a child are entitled to a similar benefit.

As Russian tanks and troops moved to attack Kyiv and explosions were heard across Ukraine’s capital city, Pope Francis spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this Saturday afternoon, Feb. 26.

As Russian troops approached Ukraine’s capital, Pope Francis phoned the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, offering his encouragement and promising, “I will do everything I can” to help.