Catholic faithful do not “buy” Masses, but when a priest accepts an offering and promises to celebrate a Mass for that person’s loved one or other special intention he must do so, the Vatican said.

Mr. Bruni said the pope is in “good humor” and happy to get out of his suite at the Casa Santa Marta and surprise people, as we saw yesterday, April 10, when the pope appeared in St. Peter’s Basilica.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid a private visit to Pope Francis in the Vatican on the afternoon of April 9, the 18th day of his convalescence.

The Vatican bank and other Vatican offices with financial dealings are getting more adept at identifying and stopping suspicious financial activity, according to the Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority.

President Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the Vatican has defended many of the administration’s foreign aid cuts at a Senate hearing, even while saying Catholic charitable groups are well-equipped to deliver such aid efficiently.

When asked if we could expect other such surprises in the coming days, Dr. Sergio Alfieri responded: “I do not rule out that the Holy Father will give us other surprises. We know him.”