In a wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis said he was “astounded” at disorder at the U.S. Capitol. He also said he would get the Covid-19 vaccine next week and that “everyone should be vaccinated.”

Pope Francis is suffering from “a painful sciatica.”

Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. The pope’s test came back negative, the Italian news agency ANSA reported today.

The United Nations General Assembly decided unanimously that Feb. 4 be observed each year as the International Day of Human Fraternity, starting in 2021.

Two cardinals who work closely with Pope Francis have contracted Covid-19.

As he enters his 84th year, Pope Francis continues to be an important source of hope and encouragement for countless people in a world where these are in short supply.

Cardinal Parolin, 65, was admitted for surgery for an enlarged prostate, common in men over 50, and it is expected to leave the hospital in a few days.

Vatican sources acknowledge the visit, which Pope Francis has long hoped for, is “risky” under current conditions.

Cardinal Fitzgerald noted that Francis took inspiration for the encyclical not only from St. Francis of Assisi but also from the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.

“The church is in the middle of a seismic change as it moves to a more synodal and discerning approach under the leadership of Pope Francis.”