In greeting the few hundred pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis urged people to remain careful and obey safety protocols since the coronavirus pandemic is far from over.

Pope Francis: “The protection of the environment and respect for the biodiversity of the planet are issues that affect us all. We cannot pretend to be healthy in a world that is sick.”

“Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to the bishops for their pastoral tone in the church’s response to the demonstrations across the country in their statements and actions since the death of George Floyd.”

“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”

When is it appropriate to criticize a reigning pope, and what implications does that question have for Catholic ecclesiology?

Pope Francis said the aim of the decree is to “reduce in a significant way the danger of corruption” in the awarding of contracts.