With the event, the pope hoped to raise awareness about children’s plight in war, promote global peace, care for the environment and empower the younger generation.

In a message for a prayer service commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Pope Francis condemned the hypocrisy of remembering the heroic sacrifices made on the day, while not promoting peace in the world today.

Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to be released in September.

Voting in the E.U. parliamentary elections, which begins on June 6, is expected to result in a strong swing to the political right, as parties running on anti-immigration platforms have surged across Europe in recent years.

Lorenzo Michele Noè Caruso wrote to Pope Francis after seeing reports that the pope had used a homophobic slur when telling members of the Italian bishops’ conference to exercise caution in admitting gay men to seminaries.

In his general audience, Pope Francis reflected on the Holy Spirit’s name, “Ruach,” meaning breath or wind. And wind, he said, “is the only thing that absolutely cannot be bridled, cannot be bottled up or put in a box.”