Pope Francis continues to be in stable condition and has registered improvements in both breathing and speech, the Vatican said on March 28.

At the end of 2023, the number of Catholics in the world reached 1.405 billion, up 1.15% from 1.389 billion Catholics at the end of 2022, according to the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics.

In this episode, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss a revealing new interview that the pope’s doctor gave to an Italian newspaper.

As Pope Francis continues his convalescence, the Vatican published a full calendar of Holy Week and Easter liturgies with no indication of who would preside or be the main celebrant.

In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Pope Francis’ lead doctor described in some detail the two critical situations where the pope came close to death.

The Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life has published a pastoral framework to help dioceses strengthen and promote the pastoral care of human life.